Allen County press release:
Kryder, Yoder Homes to Close Monday
State, private agency unable to reach terms on reimbursement
Despite efforts by Allen County officials, the Youth Services Center’s two licensed group homes for juveniles will close on Monday.
The decision to discontinue services at Kryder House and Yoder House Group Homes comes after the Indiana Department of Child Services and White’s Residential and Family Services were unable to reach agreement on a reimbursement rate for White’s to operate the two facilities.
“The per diem rate that was requested by White’s would have helped to maintain the quality and integrity of the programs that have already been established,” said Christopher Dunn, executive director of Youth Services Center. “Anything less than that would have been detrimental to the services.”
Currently, Kryder House and Yoder House are serving a total of five residents. “It will be up to their probation officers and case workers to determine where those residents will go,” Dunn said. A total of 14 County positions will be lost as a result of the closings.
The Allen County Board of Commissioners entered into an agreement with White’s Residential and Family Services to privatize operations at Kryder House and Yoder House earlier this year after the General Assembly shifted the costs for juvenile services from counties to the state. However, the Department of Child Services is no longer required to pay costs of any services,
programs or placements to facilities that are not eligible to receive federal reimbursement. By privatizing operations at the group homes, the Commissioners had hoped to meet the eligibility guidelines.“The good work that’s been carried out by these two facilities over the years makes the closings even more regrettable,” said Bill Brown, President of the Board of Commissioners. “However, efforts are already underway to locate a private agency that can provide a program to serve at risk youth at these facilities.”
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They have 1 private company that couldn’t/wouldn’t do what was necessary but Mr. Brown is now hoping to find another private company to do the job? And if the group homes are privatized what county jobs are being lost?
Fourteen county positions to care for five residents? And we wonder why local government has become so expensive?
I think I know the point you’re trying to make John, but I think you need to clarify it a bit.
Any type of group home is going to be labor intensive. Remember, they’re there 24/7/365. 3 eight hour shifts a day would be 21 in one week, or at a minimum 5 or 6 employees per facility. That would be just to cover the facility with “shift supervision” and wouldn’t begin to cover supervisory staff or support staff. I have no idea what the licensing of the facility would require staff-wise as there would undoubtedly be other required positions as well. Yes, 14 people to care for 5 seems high, but remember, there are going to be minimum staffing requirements with facilities of these types. That’s what undoubtedly makes the facility expensive which isn’t a decision made by government officials.
It’s an expensive undertaking for government and if you’re going to do it, it’s not gonna be cheap. Perhaps your question should be, “Is this something the County should be doing at all?”
I think they were right to seek privitization, but the results were disappointing.