YSB programs are designed to meet the needs of youth and families in Monroe County and its surrounding communities, a goal which requires a wide variety of programs and services. To fulfill this goal, YSB has developed a program based on four major components, which are described below. YSB also maintains partnerships with other agencies to provide services related to the four components listed below and to ensure effective and efficient use of available community resources.
Binkley House Emergency Youth Shelter Services
The Binkley House Youth Shelter is the largest division of YSB, and provides short-term residential care and crisis intervention for youth ages 10-17. The shelter provides emergency shelter for runaways, homeless youth, and youth in crisis or abusive situations at home. The shelter is a Basic Center Program.
Accessible 24 hours a day, Binkley House provides services such as counseling, education, supervised recreation, transportation to and from school and other appointments, and referrals to a variety of agencies for related services.
YSB also assists with transitional services during a youth's stay at the Binkley House Emergency Youth Shelter. These include independent living, transition to long-term residential care, transition from long-term residential care back home, and long-term aftercare counseling. The youth shelter also serves as a respite resource for youth placed in foster homes to minimize foster care repeat placements. The Youth Services Bureau of Monroe County does not charge a fee for the services provided for Safe Place or parental admissions. We are recipients of The Federal Runaway and Homeless Youth Grant and our emergency Shelter is a Basic Center Program.
Referrals to the youth shelter can be made by other social service agencies, parents, or by the youth themselves.
- Parent/Guardian Letter
- HMIS Privacy Policy
- Helpful information on placing a youth at the Youth Shelter
The Youth Services Bureau operates Safe Place of Monroe, Greene, Brown, and Owen Counties, a community-wide outreach service for runaways and at-risk youth in crisis situations. Throughout Monroe, Greene, Brown, and Owen Counties, dozens of businesses and community locations have volunteered to be part of the Safe Place Network. These Safe Places are identified by the bright yellow Safe Place sign. A youth can enter a Safe Place at any time and ask for help. Within a few minutes a trained volunteer arrives to meet the youth and assist in defusing the crisis. In some cases, the youth chooses to have the volunteer transport them to the Youth Services Bureau shelter where staff welcome the youth and provide for his or her immediate needs -- food, warmth, rest, etc. Together they begin to work toward a solution.
Information about the Safe Place program.
Community Programs
Community-Based Counseling
Community-Based Counseling is a free, voluntary, short-term counseling program serving youth ages 10-18 and their families experiencing challenges that may place them at risk of family conflict, abuse or neglect, or youth running away. Services are provided to the community at the Youth Services Bureau of Monroe County and use a family-centered, trauma-informed approach to help youth and caregivers improve communication, build coping and problem-solving skills, and address concerns impacting family stability. Community-Based Counselingprimarily serves uninsured or state-insured families in Monroe County who may not otherwise have access to counseling services. Whenever possible, the program prioritizes family preservation and works to support families in remaining safely together as a healthy, functional unit.
Empowered Parenting Workshop
Empowered Parenting Workshop (EPW) is a free, 8-week program designed to enhance the relationship between parents/guardians and their adolescent children. The workshop prioritizes creating a safe and supportive space for parents to connect with each other while focusing on how to build strong, healthy relationships with their children through effective communication and mutual respect. Through interactive activities and relevant group discussions, parents will be equipped with practical and tangible skills to manage their own emotions while supporting their children’s emotional regulation development.
Link to referral: https://bit.ly/EPWReferral
Seeking Safety
Seeking Safety is a free, 10-week harm reduction program designed to support adolescents struggling with substance use. The program focuses on providing a safe space for youth to develop coping skills, improve their overall well-being, and identify key factors that may be influencing their substance use. Through trauma-informed education, Seeking Safety aims to minimize the negative impacts of substance use and improve mental health and social interactions. Families will also have access to family counseling services, case management, and parent skills training.
Link to referral: https://bit.ly/SeekingSafetyReferral
Truancy Termination Partnership Program
Truancy Termination Partnership Program (TTPP) is a free, voluntary court diversion program offering an array of interventions targeted towards school refusal behavior. At the initial appointment, families complete a clinical assessment for TTPP staff to obtain a holistic picture of the circumstances affecting the school refusal behavior. TTPP staff then work with the student, family, and school to create a case plan with interventions and goals for their time in the program. These interventions may include academic tutoring, case management, GED/school transfer assistance, educational advocacy, counseling services, teen peer support groups, and/or parent skills training. Referrals to this program must come from the youth’s school, but we are more than happy to have a conversation with school officials to obtain a referral if families express interest in the program.
Prevention
Building a Thriving Compassionate Community
In April 2015, Building a Thriving Compassionate Community (BTCC) started as a small group of passionate individuals talking about the effects of trauma in Monroe County, Indiana. We wanted to create common language around trauma and trauma-sensitive practices and help connect existing resources and initiatives to be more effective and responsive. Within the first few months of convening, BTCC began to shift attention and focus to understanding how trauma could be prevented in the first place – how trajectories for children, families, neighborhoods, and communities could be improved if we could assure safe, stable, and nurturing relationships and environments from the start. With the sub-committee efforts growing and requiring more infrastructure and support, ABC members decided in 2017 to move their sub-committee initiatives under the umbrella of the Youth Services Bureau of Monroe County (YSB).
MCYC is a youth-led organization that invites Monroe County high school teens – including those who have not previously had opportunities for leadership – to learn what it takes to make a difference in their community through advocacy, community collaboration, and service.
Bloomington AfterSchool Network
The Bloomington AfterSchool Network is a coalition that strives to connect Monroe County after school programs, schools, and organizations that impact and serve youth in our community.
YSB also maintains partnerships with other agencies to provide services related to the four components listed above and to ensure effective and efficient use of available community resources.