Youth Bridge has been around for 45 years. We are an accredited non-profit agency helping at-risk youth in Northwest Arkansas. We are governed by a board of 22 individuals.

Youth Bridge provides comprehensive services for at-risk youth including:

• Substance Abuse Residential program for teen boys involved in the juvenile justice system
• A Therapeutic Group Home for teen boys involved in the juvenile justice system
• Two Transitional Living Programs (TLP)
  • For runaway and homeless young adults (and their children if applicable) ages 18-22 (The Fayetteville Junior Civic League Transitional Living Program - aka Julie House) opened in 2005.
  • For runaway and homeless girls (and their children if applicable) ages 16-18 (Copper Creek House) opened in February of 2008.
• A Long term group home for girls in DCFS custody (Zion House)
• An emergency shelter serving both Washington and Benton Counties
  • Youth Bridge has provided Emergency Shelters services since 1992. The current Youth Bridge Emergency Shelter facility opened in Centerton in 1999.
• Intensive Inpatient and Outpatient therapy for individuals and families
  
• Aftercare
• Community service program in Harrison
• Electronic Monitoring
• Classes in Anger Management, Parenting and Life Skills

All Youth Bridge policies and procedures have been created around the philosophy of our “Culture of Caring”. Youth Bridge is not a lock-down facility. In fact, all of our procedures are in place because we want to keep our clients safe and we really do care about them.

YB provides more than 550,000 hours of services to at-risk teens and their families each year.

Each year YB serves over 3000 teens and their families in Northwest and North Central Arkansas.

Youth Bridge receives its funding primarily through State and Federal Grants, the United Way, Foundations and private contributions.

YB serves 8 counties: Washington, Benton, Baxter, Boone, Carroll, Madison, Marion, and Newton counties.

• In 1980, Youth Bridge, Inc. was awarded a nine county consolidation contract by the Arkansas Division of Youth Services. The Harrison Office was subsequently opened in 1983 with the Mountain Home Office opening in 1985.
• We have offices in Fayetteville, Centerton, Eureka Springs, Harrison, and Mountain Home.

Why it is important to have Youth Bridge services:

• In January of 2007, a 24 hour Point in Time Survey of Homeless Persons conducted by the University Of Arkansas Department Of Sociology indicated that on any given night 1170 adults and youth in Washington and Benton counties are homeless. Of this 442 were school aged children between grades K-12.
• Youth under 18 years of age make up over 25% of the area’s total population.
• In the United States, Arkansas ranks 45th in the percentage of children in poverty
• In the United States, every two hours a child is reported abused or neglected.
• Overall, drug and alcohol abuse among area teenagers account for over 50% of juvenile arrests.
• Arkansas ranked 41st in the country with a high school dropout level of at least 12%.