Appropriating $49,231.00 Federal Assistance Grant for Operation of the Youth Services Bureau

Home Browse Search

YOUTH SERVICE BUREAU: A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE In 1968, the President's Commission on Crime and Delinquency recom- mended that any geographical area of 100,000 people contain a YOUTH SERVICE BUREAU. There were several functions recommended for these YSB's, and each community was asked to fit the needs of its youth into the general YSB concept. Among the universal aspects of YSB's are: Serving as a clearinghouse for youth programming; Being an ad- vocate for young people; Creating services to fill treatment gaps; and Providing diversion from the juvenile justice system. The single goal of YSB's is to reduce delinquency. In South Bend, there was an attempt at creating a YSB in 1971. After a few months, this Bureau was closed down. Our current YSB has been in operation since the first director was hired in February of 1972. We have been in our office at 1011 E. Madison Street since April of 1972 and we have been receiving clients since June of 1972. The current director was hired on July 1, 1973. In the State of Indiana there are currently 16 YSB's. Several com- munities have attempted to sustain programs but have been unable be- cause of a lack of community committment to Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Programming. It appears that the strongest YSB's in the state are those of Northern Indiana: Gary, Valparaiso, LaPorte, Elkhart and South Bend. When the South Bend YSB first started accepting referrals, the com- munity wanted us to work with older youth, of high school age. The prevailing philosophy at that time was to have staff people who were "street workers ". These staff members were primarily non - professionals and were supposed to be able to "relate" to the youth in trouble. Our first year seemed to suggest that three changes were needed in our orientation: 1) Professional staff would be required, 2) Younger age groups should be the target, and 3) Programming specifically designed for "delinquency- prone" youngsters was a necessity.