KYJO currently has six level-12 residential homes throughout Fresno, Clovis, and Hanford California providing 24-hour care for young men and women (ages 12-17) who are wards of the juvenile court and/or social service system. Two of our homes care for young women and the other four care for young men. Many of these youth come from broken families and have a history of poor educational and social backgrounds. However, most of the young men and women have hope of avoiding escalating violence, drugs, and prison. We understand that all are diverse and unique in their own way and because of this, we give every one of them the best of care through our programs and services.

KYJO empowers youth to develop life skills and the self-confidence to change the destructive behavior that landed them in our care. Our goal is to prepare them to reunify with their families and re-enter society as productive members in their communities.

Positive exposure is a major component of our program. Relationships are built by our Executive Director and staff, guest speakers which include business men and women, professional athletes, and various members of the community that come in to lend encouragement to our residents. Numerous activities and recreational opportunities are also set up for residents throughout the year. These opportunities and outings consist of camping trips, sporting events, plays, musicals, museums, trips to theme parks, and much more.

Many of the residents who are referred to KYJO have been abused, neglected, or have committed a crime. Residents are placed through the Department of Children and Family Services and Juvenile Probation. KYJO’s residential treatment program provides 24 hour care by trained Managers, Child Care Workers and Therapists. We construct individual plans and counseling programs for each of our residents. In addition, residents will receive specialty group, or individual counseling programs based on their needs, or individual treatment plan.

Individual Therapy
·Processing consequences of choices
·Processing family issues
·Processing pain and hurt as a result of being removed from the home
·Anger Management

Psychological/Psychiatric
·Comprehensive psychological evaluation
·Psychiatric and medication evaluation

Family Reunification
·Strengthen the family structure and boundaries
·Improve communication between parents and children
·Change unhealthy coalitions between parents and children
·Meet with parents and children onsite or via telephone
·Provide family therapy

Emancipation
·Refer to employment services, such as Workforce Connection, Youth Build, Job Corp
·Develop education plans to include completion of high school and/or further education
·Refer for housing, medical, financial and other social service programs that may be indicated at the time of program termination

Substance Abuse
·Improved problem solving, social skills, and relapse prevention
·Motivation and engagement
·Drug Testing: Routine, Random, On-Demand

Thinking For A Change
The philosophy of the program endorse that offenders should be empowered to be responsible for changing their own problem behavior.

Try Another Way
The purpose of Try Another Way is to find better ways to serve female juvenile offenders. Most programs for juvenile offenders were designed for boys/young men, but recent research has shown that female juvenile offenders often have key differences from their male counterparts.

Becoming A Man
Becoming A Man is a biweekly meeting aimed at providing our youth with character development skills and mentorship. The group provides life lessons to our residents to provide them the necessary skills to deal with common challenges faced by young men as they transition to adulthood. Through the use of Guest Speakers, role playing, written homework assignments, and reflective group interaction; the Becoming a Man group exposes our residents to various life topics including but not limited to the following:

·The importance of Character
·Interpersonal Communication Skills
·Dealing with Loss
·Career/Employment Readiness
·Decision Making
·Developing appropriate relationships
·And various other life skills

Girl Talk
This program focuses on mentoring, coaching and teaching youth
about accountability, responsibility, leadership, respect, and how
to mature, learn, and grow into good women.

Unity Peer Council
Elected residents and facilitator meet to promote Leadership Skills,
Team Building, Life Skills, Self-Confidence, Coping Skills, Peer
Mentoring, Self-Awareness, and Social Skills in a safe environment
where residents can work together to send a positive message to
the rest of KYJO’s residents.