how to start a group home for troubled teens

[Anonymous]

I want to start a group home for troubled teens so parents have an alternative and safe place instead of using programs. If we start a grass roots effort for good people to start small group homes maybe we can put the programs out of business.

Does anybody know how I can do this or where to begin? thanks

[Froderik]

Ah yes, the Tire Ranch!!™ Though its original intent was to provide sanctuary for survivors, it could be expanded upon to offer a place for parents to send their kids as well. It would be a great environment, since program survivors are experts at helping people, filled with tidbits of wisdom and have lots to say about all of this.

It will (if all goes according to plan) provide a guaranteed free dwelling space for survivors who need a place to decompress from time spent in abusive, pseudo-therapeutic, greed-based mind control cults existing in the U.S. today, and for survivors who just need someplace to party for a few days. In short, the Tire Ranch™ will offer sanctuary for program survivors.

As for locations, we've considered Alaska, the Mojavé Desert or maybe some pretty little uncharted island somewhere. At this point we are still open to suggestions.

Once its initial stark framework of used tires and concrete is expanded upon, the Tire Ranch will become quite a place indeed! However, our residents will get out of it what they put into it! We will do what we can to provide survivors food, clothing, drugs, music, beds, showers, wireless internet, dune buggies (or snow mobiles), sex toys, guitars, drums, guns & any and all other basic necessities. We will all do our best to make sure that everyone is accommodated!

[psy]

LOLs

[FemanonFatal2.0]

I want to start a group home for troubled teens so parents have an alternative and safe place instead of using programs. If we start a grass roots effort for good people to start small group homes maybe we can put the programs out of business.

Does anybody know how I can do this or where to begin? thanks

I wouldn't recommend opening any kind of "group home" without first having the education and experience to do a good job and a shit ton of money to create a healthy environment and hire qualified staff.

I just don't think this is a project any survivors can really take on, unless you worked with a team that was funded by the government. (which would bring on its own problems)

[Anonymous]

I want to start a group home for troubled teens so parents have an alternative and safe place instead of using programs.

lol. this has to be a troll. but i'll say the ALTERNATIVE parents should look into is raising their own kids.

[Froderik]

lol. this has to be a troll.

Noooooo........ really...?  

[Anonymous]

Actually I was being serious, and think it should be considered by people who might be willing to try it. If everyone just sits around waiting for somebody else to fix the problem, somebody "more qualified", then nothing will ever change.

I don't think it will cost that much. You can start it in a rural area with cheap real estate. You could even get a rental, and start with something small like a 5 bedroom at first. You could live in one bedroom and then bring in 8 students and let them live with a roommate in each room. You should probably check zoning laws before doing this to make sure it's legal in the area first though.

With the money coming in from the parents you can buy food for them and pay for gas to take them to a local AA meeting. Then you can have group or something at home and eventually have enough income to hire a therapist or something. It wouldn't be for hard core addicts or anything, just a place where a kid can get their head on straight in a safe environment.

Who is better qualified to run a place like this than an abusive program survivor? It gives you the much needed experience in what doesn't work, so you can do the things that will work. You can have a policy of "do no harm" and there will be no physical punishments or emotional manipulation. Also it wouldn't take people who have no reason to go there. Just teens who have some drug issues and behavior problems.  Somebody has to compete with the bad programs or else they will just continue on as they want.

[Anonymous]

Actually I was being serious, and think it should be considered by people who might be willing to try it. If everyone just sits around waiting for somebody else to fix the problem, somebody "more qualified", then nothing will ever change.

I don't think it will cost that much. You can start it in a rural area with cheap real estate. You could even get a rental, and start with something small like a 5 bedroom at first. You could live in one bedroom and then bring in 8 students and let them live with a roommate in each room. You should probably check zoning laws before doing this to make sure it's legal in the area first though.

With the money coming in from the parents you can buy food for them and pay for gas to take them to a local AA meeting. Then you can have group or something at home and eventually have enough income to hire a therapist or something. It wouldn't be for hard core addicts or anything, just a place where a kid can get their head on straight in a safe environment.

Who is better qualified to run a place like this than an abusive program survivor? It gives you the much needed experience in what doesn't work, so you can do the things that will work. You can have a policy of "do no harm" and there will be no physical punishments or emotional manipulation. Also it wouldn't take people who have no reason to go there. Just teens who have some drug issues and behavior problems.  Somebody has to compete with the bad programs or else they will just continue on as they want.

Oh for god sakes, cram it, bub. Supid troll. but, inadvertantly, you spell out the ludicrousy of the teen torture industry. If all someone needs is that local aa meeting and eventually a therapist,he/she can do that from 'home'. But its easier for a shit parent who never provided a 'home' to dump the brat/incovneience/scapegoat/GFG

[Anonymous]

Oh for god sakes, cram it, bub. Supid troll.

You are one of those people who think they are required to click on every single thread, right?   :rofl:

If you don't want to read about how to start a group home for troubled teens, I'd advise you not to click on threads entitled so.  

[psy]

Who is better qualified to run a place like this than an abusive program survivor?

Qualified professionals... or better yet (heaven forbid) the fucking parents, as it really is their job in the first place.

What you're suggesting is well intentioned but doomed to disaster for more reasons than i have time to count off here.  Even Froderik's idea is less doomed to disaster.  Sorry, but even a "nice" prison with forced treatment is still a prison with forced treatment.

What do you intend to do if a parent sends a kid who clearly has no problems (and if they do, is it really your place to make that decision)?

What do you intend to do if a kid does not want to attend the stepcraft meetings (for whatever reason... could be he doesn't believe he has a problem...  could be he doesn't believe the rubber chicken gives a damn).

What do you intend to do if a kid runs away or wants to run away?

How is this "group" of yours supposed to be set up and operate?  Is it the good old-fashioned formula of kids confronting other kids?



Just because you may know what does *not* work and what is *not* ethical doesn't mean you know what does and is.

[Oscar]

Where is a group home needed and what is the target group. It is the question you have to ask yourself first. No group home in the world can fix all problems. That is the first mistake many group homes and programs make.

I believe that a group home should be for kids from the local neighborhood. Properly the best solution would be if the group home was combined with both the local high school and a home work cafeteria. (A cafeteria where students with poor grades can hang out and get coaching from nerds who are paid for their effort. A huge problem with both programs and group homes are that the youth are cut off their social network. You cannot underestimate the value of a social network - both good or bad.

In Denmark we have a very smart youth. As any other kids of their age they will try all kind of new stuff and act like adult without realizing that they are not prepared.

You can take a thing like cannabis. We have several hot-lines where kids can phone in a get drug-treatment. It is the kids who is on the phone. No the parents. They are too busy! As always with Google the article is poorly translated but it paints the picture.

10-year-olds treated for cannabis (Denmarks Radio)

How are they treated? Because it is their choice to seek help they are treated out-patient. If they go to the authorities and demand removal they can get lucky to end up in a group home or a continuation school. There are always too few money, so some have to settle with living by parents who are drug-users or alcoholics.

In the old days until a few years ago the group homes and continuation school was placed in remote areas, but recently the politicians have learned the need for both types of facilities near the home and family of the youth.

If you really want to help children, seek out a neighborhood where drug use and shootings are everyday incidents. Offer a structured day to youth who wants structure. They exist and they are not few. Youth want boundaries but most of all they want honesty so don't oversell the solution. Of course there are not very much income generated from a group home runned for the right reason, so you need to work with both the local authorties and the local schools. Maybe they havn't a DAEP program and that it good because youth who violate rules should be kept in the general student environment and suffer consequences there regardless of the severeness of their offense.

Last but not least: Leave therapy to professionals and hospitals.

[FemanonFatal2.0]

A residential group home just spells disaster for too many reasons

however another idea that might be more plausible is a community center. This would be a place that would offer services to kids and families that walk in but by no means hold them there. You can get therapists who work for the government to come work there, there are certain out reach programs that offer government compensated professionals to come work for your non profit center. You could also take volunteers from the local area and college and high school students studying social work to do ROP. You could also set up hot lines and information pamphlets and even classes (like parenting classes!) and support groups for all kinds of issues, including for survivors of (institutionalized) child abuse. You could offer free counseling, both individual and family counseling and it would be ideal to have a therapist who specializes in trauma. Something that could really make a difference is starting a mentor program pairing up college students or young professionals with teens a bit like the big brother/ big sister system but with emphasis on therapy and working through the tough teenage years.

You can offer help with out being residential, and because the message of those who have been through the programs is for parents to seek help through their community as an alternative to the program, setting up a youth community center would fill that need.

[Anonymous]

What do you intend to do if a parent sends a kid who clearly has no problems (and if they do, is it really your place to make that decision)?

If I can convince the parent to take them home, then I would do that. If it's clear the parent is only interested in transferring the kid to another program, I'd keep them and not make a huge deal about them going to AA or therapy. I mean it would be a group home more than a program, if they had no reason to be there they would be more like a paying roommate, helping to support the kids who do need help. If you think that's wrong, well the other alternative is the parents paying an abusive program and supporting them.

What do you intend to do if a kid does not want to attend the stepcraft meetings (for whatever reason... could be he doesn't believe he has a problem...  could be he doesn't believe the rubber chicken gives a damn).

There will be no physical corrections or intense emotional manipulation, so if they don't want to go they don't have to. If they'd rather stay home in the house all by themselves, they are free to do so. But they might get kind of lonely if they do that. Of course if they get into trouble while by themselves they might be asked to leave for the overall good of the house. But since they would probably be transfered to a worse place, we would try to keep that from happening.

What do you intend to do if a kid runs away or wants to run away?

I don't know what the legal obligations are in that situation. I guess call the police and have them brought back? I'd say let them go, since we only want voluntary people, but I don't know if you can do that with a minor. At the least call their parents. Maybe go looking for them if it's a small enough town.

How is this "group" of yours supposed to be set up and operate?

A circle of chairs, or even at the dinner table. Group is just time to talk to each other. The whole idea is to avoid the negative aspects of programs, so of course there would be no confrontation or any of that. Everyday courtesy will be required and if people act arrogant and intense and want to judge others they will be asked to leave or tone it down.

Is it the good old-fashioned formula of kids confronting other kids?

No. The kids can be friends and chit chat and gossip and all that, but there will not be different levels or anything like that. More like a loose knit group home with a responsible adult in charge. Kind of like the sober living house model more than anything, but for youths. The whole point is to provide a sane alternative to harsh and ineffective programs, not to duplicate them.

Just because you may know what does *not* work and what is *not* ethical doesn't mean you know what does and is.

Well, where is the harm in trying? Any kid sent to this new group home would of been sent somewhere else. So if you can make your place better than the other programs out there, which mostly involves *doing less* and having a more typical living environment than crazy cult like environment, then I don't see the harm.

Of course, I'm not actually going to do it any time soon. This is more of a thought exercise and figuring out how it would be possible, the best way to set it up, and if it actually might work in providing a good alternative to what is out there.

[Anonymous]

I have mixed feelings every time a new community residence (which is what we call a group home licensed by the Office of Mental Health) goes up in our fair city.  On one hand, I know that's eight less youth that are being sent to an institutional setting outside of their community, on the other hand it's eight youth being cared for in a congregate care setting period.

The first thing you need to do is figure out why you want to create a group home in the first place, and not create some kind of in-home or drop-in service for youth.  We need more good people to provide services that youth actually want.  I imagine that most youth given the option of a group home or a drop-in center, will take the latter option.

Like the previous poster said, just because you know what is abusive, doesn't mean you know what is not not abusive.  Youth belong in families, and if you're thinking of putting in the effort of building a group home, that time can be much better spent helping youth so they don't end up in a position where their needing residential care to begin with, not just offering families a sanitized alternative.

If you really feel need to nurture young people in a more direct way, I suggest you become a foster parent, so you can give a youth the kind of one-on-one individualized attention that they wouldn't be able to get in a group home setting.

[Anonymous]

I don't know what the legal obligations are in that situation. I guess call the police and have them brought back? I'd say let them go, since we only want voluntary people, but I don't know if you can do that with a minor. At the least call their parents. Maybe go looking for them if it's a small enough town.

.

Troll, of course you can do let a minor leave the prmises! Contrary to popular gulag promoter opinion, you can allow a minor to leave of their own accord. Yep, then you file a missing person report if they are not back in a certain time frame