Juvenile court receives funding for new programs

First Posted: 1/22/2015

LIMA — The Allen County Juvenile Court will now be able to begin two new programs aimed at curbing the number of young people in the court system and mentoring those coming out of the system, thanks to additional funding from the Ohio Department of Youth Services.

At the Allen County Commissioners meeting Thursday, intervention services director Cathy Follett outlined these two new programs funded through youth services’ Competitive Reclaim initiative. The first program will be in collaboration with the Family Resource Center and Case Western University, aimed at working with youth referred through the Court’s Assessment Services Team.

“We’ll be more intensive with those kinds of kids,” she said. “For example, if they come into our juvenile detention center for domestic violence and exhibit some issues, then maybe we could offer these services to the family. We are looking at early identification of needs.”

The second program will be aimed at youths on probation, placing them in a Christian-based environment in partnership with Pastor Carl Johnson of New Life Church International.

“This is a new opportunity for us at the Juvenile Court,” Follett said. “The goal is to work with 30 African-American males who are referred through the Juvenile Court for a mentoring program through a Christian association and offer services to those youths on a weekly basis.”

Both programs, with funding totaling $114,750, are set to get underway very soon, according to Follett.

“We have to have [the mentoring program] up and going by March 1,” she said. “The CAST team is meeting Friday, and that program could be up and going by next week.”