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Youth Services Center - General Information

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GENERAL INFORMATION Revised 12/15/04   Two Juvenile Justice Needs Assessments done for San Mateo County concluded that a new Juvenile Hall was needed because the aging current facility is overcrowded, undersized, structurally outdated, and unable to adequately handle today's offenders. Also, the number of girls in custody and dependent children has risen significantly. As a result of ongoing work between the Board of Supervisors, the Courts, the Probation Department, and the community, the concept of the Youth Services Center was developed to consolidate youth services in one location in a new state-of-the-art facility to benefit youth, families, staff and community.   The budget for the 295,285 square foot Youth Services Center project is $148 million. This includes a new juvenile hall, girl's camp, receiving home, Probation offices, Courts, and mental health offices. The County was awarded a $21 million State construction grant and an additional $600,000 Federal grant for on-site health facilities.   Turner Construction Company is the construction manager and KMD Architects is the architect. The project received State and Federal environmental approvals and site work started December 2003. Construction began April 2004 and is scheduled to be completed March 2006. Occupancy starts July 2006. Once the existing juvenile hall, courts and offices are vacated, they will be demolished. PROGRAMS Juvenile Hall - The Juvenile Hall will be a secure facility housing a maximum of 180 youth. The facility will have a separate assessment center, school, dining area, gymnasium, and program and exercise areas. Girl's Camp - This staff secure residential program will house 30 females, emphasizing gender specific programming for the women and their families. Receiving Home - This shelter facility will temporarily house, supervise, and meet the needs of youth who have been abused or neglected. Group Home Cluster - This residential program for 30 juveniles will emphasize comprehensive, holistic programming designed to address dual-diagnosis and other issues, which resulted in placement of youth out of San Mateo County. Family involvement is an important component of the program. Community School - The school is a Probation Department/County Office of Education collaborative program for youth with school-based delinquency problems. The regular and specialized classrooms will serve 60-90 youth.