The Alternative Youth Adventures center of Youth Dynamics Inc. has operated quietly on the former south campus of the Montana Developmental Center since 2005, serving a small number of young people with behavioral and emotional issues – and it’s about to become more visible.
In July, YDI is scheduled to break ground on a new group home that will expand its residential capacity by a third. Executives say the construction is the first step in a multi-year effort to enlarge and enhance the company’s offerings in Boulder.
The AYA program currently serves 24 students typically referred to YDI by Child and Family Services, juvenile probation officers, caregivers and schools. The youth are then screened and placed in a residential program based on their individual needs. Megan Marsh, YDI/ADA’s associate clinical director of residential services, says YDI’s three group homes serve as safe places for the at-risk young people, and the AYA program focuses on their well-being and that of their families.
“We serve children and families that may have issues such as depression and anxiety, children that may have had a lot of trauma in their lifetimes, and we are able to support these kids and families because we have a lot of different services in one location,” Marsh said. “That makes us unique in that we are able to provide residential services, individual family and group therapy. We contract for psychiatric medication services, we provide day treatment services, so we are able to provide specialized educational services on site.”
Boulder’s YDI/AYA program currently serves 24 students; YDI/AYA decreased the population from 32 students in 2021 to account for staffing shortages. Two group homes are licensed for co-education and one is limited to highly sexualized youth.
When the upcoming expansion is complete, Clinical Director of Residential Services Jordan Evertz said, it is YDI’s intention to return to serving 32 children, with eight children in each group home.
The construction of a new group home is just the beginning of developments to come on Boulder’s YDI location. Future plans include an additional group home as well as a tennis court, a sports court, a pavilion and a garden. The second group home and campus improvements are scheduled to break ground in the summer of 2024.
“I’m excited about what can happen on this acreage after YDI puts a shovel in the ground in July,” said Tim Norbeck, Major Gift Officer for YDI’s Administrative Leadership Team.
A former Jefferson High School superintendent, Norbeck knows all about the importance of YDI/AYA, and its resources, including comprehensive trauma-informed mental and behavioral health services, caregiver support, respite care, youth case management, service coordination and advocacy, therapeutic mentoring, substance use treatment and educational services. Norbeck worked as an educator during his time at Jefferson High and also recruited teachers from Jefferson High School and Boulder Elementary to teach on the YDI/AYA campus. AYA youth are considered part of the Jefferson High and Boulder Elementary districts.
“That education component is huge,” Norbeck said. “YDI is the only model in the state of Montana that has a school district send staff onto the campus to provide services. There have been very positive things happening here. It gives children a great opportunity to get back on track and graduate.”
In his nine years as Jefferson High superintendent, Norbeck said teachers were always willing to get involved by educating the students at AYA.
“They’ve gone above and beyond,” said AYA Program Manager Ashley Santos. “For example, high school science teacher Lynnsey Williams offered to do a tie-dye chemistry experiment in the science lab over at the high school.”
Since 1981, YDI has served more than 20,000 children and families in 31 different locations, making it Montana’s largest provider of mental and behavioral health care. YDI also employs more than 450 people and counting. In Boulder, there are currently around 40 employees, with direct care staff and clinical positions still available.
Marsh says YDI’s programs address a growing need for behavioral health care for young people. She notes that many children who have graduated from the program have gone on to live better, more productive lives.
“I think we’ve had fantastic results with the kids and families we serve,” Marsh said. “I think when kids leave our programming they’ve really achieved a lot of success. We see our kids resolving the concerns that bring them here. They gain a sense of wellness and of self-esteem. They feel better about themselves, improve their relationships with their families and are able to be successful in educational settings and in their communities. It’s life-changing.”
In 2021, 73% of youth in group homes were discharged to a lower level of care. Of those discharged, 97% of YDI youth enrolled in school were reported to have advanced to the next grade level the following year. A large part of this, YDI says, is due to the credits they receive during their time in the program, credits that are honored when they return to a public school setting.
“We are really able to empower the children to do their best, and I think that makes all the difference in the world,” said Marsh.
YDI students also volunteer in the community. “Generally kids will volunteer for the spay and neuter clinics at the high school,” Santos said. “They were really involved with [setting up and tearing down] the Big Rock Fright Nights haunted house at the fairgrounds, as well. [Jefferson County Event Coordinator] Bruce Binkowski has been an outspoken advocate for the program. He gave the kids circus tickets for the hard work they put into Fright Nights.”
In addition to fairground-related activities the children also helped paint Southwest Montana Youth Partners’ new childcare center next to Boulder elementary. “They were excited to help with the childcare program,” Santos said.
As far as Santos, Norbeck and others involved with YDI are concerned, expanding on the South Campus is a win-win, especially considering Boulder’s history of prioritizing wellness, from the now-shuttered Montana Developmental Center to radon health mines, hot springs, and the state Department of Health and Human Services’ Intensive Behavior Center.
“There’s always been support from this community for service organizations, for 100-plus years,” Norbeck said. “I’ve never seen anybody snub their nose in this community at any of the treatment facilities we’ve had, and that’s not the case with every community.”
Evertz said she believes strongly in the YDI/AYA program and in the future of its campus in Boulder. Although there will be challenges moving forward, be it workforce, funding or stigma associated with mental health, she believes the future is bright.
“We want to continue to normalize and be open to have discussions about mental health,” Evertz said. “Obviously that’s improved a lot in the last 5-10 years, but we’ve still got a long way to go.”
With the support of the community and the history of wellness in Boulder and the county of whole, Norbeck said he is optimistic such a goal can be achieved. How can it be done? One child at a time.
“Imagine how much change we can make if we address the issues at this level and not when the kids become adults, when it’s much more difficult and much more expensive,” Norbeck added. “This is an issue society-wide.”
For more information on YDI, go to https://www.youthdynamics.org.
