ST PAUL, Minn. — Editor's note: The video above first aired on KARE 11 in September 2024.
Ramsey County leaders laid out plans to open multiple small treatment homes to serve the county’s most at-risk youth in a secure setting, an attempt to get a handle on juvenile repeat offenders.
The county received money from the state legislature in 2023 to open small, homelike settings where youth can have mental, behavioral or chemical health needs met. Officials asked for proposals to run the facilities in November 2024 hoping to have one or more up and running by May 2025.
“It fills a critical gap,” said County Attorney John Choi, who along with Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher, helped spearhead the program.
That gap is the lack of placements for youth who’ve committed crimes and cannot safely return to the community, but also aren’t a good fit for a juvenile prison like Red Wing. Many have severe mental health, trauma or behavioral health needs to address.
The treatment homes will be based in Ramsey County where family members can participate in their treatment. Unlike many group homes, they can be locked to help prevent runaways.
Sheriff Fletcher talked about the department’s work to crack down on car theft and carjacking involving youth. He said he’s learned many youth in the system come from homes where addiction, homelessness and poverty are common.
Fletcher believes the new treatment homes can help steer them down a more productive path while keeping the public safe.
“The number of kids who need this intensive treatment is really small,” Fletcher said. “The younger you can get treatment for these ills, the better.”
The county is asking for community-based organizations to develop culturally responsive homes for up to six youth at a time. The county will use money from the legislature to get them up and running.
Choi says they will also work to increase the reimbursement rate for providers who take on the difficult job.
County leaders pointed to the uniqueness of the program and said while it’s not the only solution to repeat youth crime, they believe it is an important start.
Tyrone Terrill who runs a navigators program for kids in the juvenile justice system said it’s vital. “A lot of children from birth never had a chance,” he said. “I believe these homes will give kids a chance.”
The move comes as metro counties grapple with a post-pandemic rise in juvenile crime and a lack of facilities to rehabilitate youth — some of whom are incompetent to stand trial because of their young age, mental illness or low IQ.
In November, the Hennepin County Board approved emergency action to turn part of a county building into a Youth Behavioral Health Crisis Stabilization Center to house troubled kids accused of crimes who need secure treatment.
The action came after a judge blasted the county for holding children in jail illegally.