The Youth Service Bureau of St. Joseph County is a community-based non-profit organization that serves the needs of youth at critical points in their lives. We do not charge a fee for any of our programs and we bring our services to youth in need.
The Youth Service Bureau believes in the power of change. Our guiding principles include honest communication, creativity, flexibility, integrity, and an undeniable commitment to young people.

In the late 60s/early 70s the State of Indiana was receiving media attention – but not of the positive kind. A hard hitting expose of the Indiana Boys School, This Child Rated X, was aired that brought attention to the lack of alternatives to incarceration. A nationally-syndicated news report on juvenile delinquency was also aired during that time, in which Indiana was listed as among the worst states in the Union for its treatment of minors.

It was against this backdrop of challenges, change, and uncertainty that the Safe Street Crime Control Bill was passed by Congress. The bill’s passage was motivated by many things. Not the least of which was the knowledge that drugs and crime were moving beyond the large urban areas to smaller cities and towns across America.

The bill provided funding to develop clearinghouses to divert juvenile offenders from the juvenile justice system. The Youth Service Bureaus were those clearinghouses. Many of our State’s youth service bureaus very quickly began offering direct services as there were not the programs available to meet the needs of the youth and families who were referred.

Early bureaus got off the ground and were organized by cities, counties, private entities such as League of Women Voters; churches, Purdue University County Extension. Our Youth Service Bureau in St. Joseph County was greatly assisted by the league of Women Voters and the Purdue University Extension Office. The City of South Bend applied for and received initial funding to create a clearinghouse where South Bend Police could refer kids and families. The Youth Service Bureau staff role was to assess and refer families and youth. Our staff learned very early that there were only limited opportunities for the remediation needed. As a result, our direct service programs were implemented. We began a home based counseling program, a school based counseling and skills building program, youth employment, youth education, and in 1976 opened Safe Station, the first and only runaway shelter for teens in the area. All of YSB programs delivered today have their origins in the early days. The Youth Service Bureau was a bureau of South Bend City government from 1972 until l985 when it became a private non-profit.

Much has changed since 1972 and much has stayed the same. Neighborhood and community based programs have come and gone since the early 1970s. Certainly there are more programs that are better organized that meet the needs of children and youth available in the community. Schools have become more involved in before and after school programming. Some corporations have made a concerted effort to teach skills to children and youth. There are more services that adhere to positive youth development concepts. A new certification program is being offered for youth workers which will improve the quality of service delivery. What has changed is the number of children and youth who have been diagnosed with a mental health problem. Common diagnoses include ADD, ADHD, and increasingly children and youth are being diagnosed as bi-polar. These diagnoses were uncommon in the 1970s. Our community continues to feel the effects of drug and alcohol abuse. In the 1970s our community did not recognize gang problems, yet today gangs are prevalent. While the number of teens under 18 who have run away from home has remained for the most part constant, the number of homeless youth including youth under 18 years old has increased. The number of homeless families has increased. In the current climate, the number of individuals and families who have fallen below the poverty line has increased. Both generational and intermittent poverty creates extreme strains on families. Our community feels the effects of poverty.

What has remained the same has been the supportiveness of many sectors of our community. Our businesses, colleges and universities, hospitals, churches, our local United Way, and local foundations have worked to identify needs, create broad based coalitions to work on the issues, and have provided resources toward these goals. What has also remained the same has been the number of individuals who are willing to support us with their personal contributions and volunteerism.

The Youth Service Bureau of St. Joseph County empowers youth and families to recognize their strengths and unlimited potential. We are committed to delivering services that include street level outreach, shelter, counseling, and case management that honors, respects and celebrates our community's diversity. We provide free, innovative and responsive programs that reach out to youth and families. The Youth Service Bureau creates a safety net for those in need, helping them move from surviving to thriving.

Our agency will be the community's portal of choice for problem solving, support and linkage to community services for every vulnerable family in St. Joseph County.

We Believe...
In the power of change
In providing both physical and emotional safety for our clients
In modeling respect and appropriate behavior
In maintaining high ethical standards
In developing strong collaborations to strengthen the continuum of care
In the therapeutic value of laughter

The Youth Service Bureau of St. Joseph County is governed by its community, represented by a Board of Directors. To find out more about the YSB Board of Directors, click here. To see what the YSB Organizational Layout looks like, click here.