Families in Southeast Idaho have a new resource to connect them to the help their child needs.
The Village: A Place for Youth and Families is hosting a ribbon cutting and open house on Tuesday, August 8, at 10:00 a.m. at 345 N 5th Avenue in Pocatello. The public is invited to attend.
The purpose of The Village is to provide early intervention services and support for families to prevent youth from entering the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. The Village will offer a single point of contact to screen the individuals to identify the underlying issues contributing to the concerning behavior and then help the child and their family access the appropriate resources they need.
The Village will serve children of all ages in the 6th Judicial District, including Bannock, Bear Lake, Caribou, Franklin, Oneida, and Power Counties.
“We are so excited about this facility and what it will mean for our local youth and their families. Kids will no longer be funneled into juvenile detention or probation for problems that can be solved at home with a little help from our community resources,” said Todd Mauger, Bannock County’s Chief Juvenile Probation Officer who spearheaded the project.
In June 2022, Bannock County was awarded a $1.28 million grant from the Idaho Department of Juvenile Justice to establish an assessment center. The grant funds come from a $6.5 million investment by the Legislature to develop eight new “Safe Teen Assessment Centers” across each of the state’s judicial districts, making Idaho the first state in the country to have a statewide implementation of assessment centers.
The 5,500-square-foot building was purchased in January 2023, and renovations began in mid-March.
