INDIANAPOLIS — A new youth intervention center in Marion County aims to keep at-risk teenagers out of the juvenile justice system by providing essential resources and support services.
The Marion County Family and Youth Intervention Center recently opened near 25th and Keystone, serving youth aged 12 to 17 who need a safe place to de-escalate situations. The facility offers free clothing, shoes, day beds, food and referral sources to primary care providers, including doctors and dentists.
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"We are not here to take you away from anyone or anything. We're here to help," said Kaitlin Milan, who works at the center.
Milan speaks on behalf of her grandfather, who once faced homelessness on the streets of Indianapolis and had to dumpster dive for food. She now finds herself giving back by helping kids facing similar adversities.
"Whatever he had to do, he had to do," Milan said about her grandfather's struggles.
The facility opens at a critical time, as the most recent point-in-time count showed 316 children under 18 were experiencing homelessness in Marion County.
"It's to provide some sort of intervention for homeless youth, youth who are being trafficked, youth who are in unsafe situations, just youth who need support," Lety Martinez, a licensed social worker who works at the center, said.
Judge Amy Jones of Marion Superior Court views the center as a crucial first step in addressing youth homelessness and preventing incarceration.
"It's a first step, is what it is. And before, there was not an alternative. It was jail or nothing. And we cannot get ourselves out of this crisis by putting every youth in custody, and they are not going to be locked up for the rest of their lives," Jones said.
The center operates from 7:30 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. daily.
"It's going to offer that engagement up front without ever having set foot in the criminal justice system. Our hope is, and what the studies have shown is that if they never enter, the chances are much, much greater that they will never enter in the future," Jones said.
Youth can be referred to the center by IMPD, schools, families and health providers throughout the area.
IMPD, Aspire Adult and Child Health, Indy Book Project, EverDriven, The Indiana Criminal Justice Institute and City of Indianapolis worked to create the center.
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Adam Schumes is the In Your Community reporter for East Side Indy. He joined WRTV in December of 2021. Adam has a passion for telling stories and giving people a voice they might not have had before. Share your story ideas and important issues with Adam by emailing him at adam.schumes@wrtv.com.
