Author Topic: Foundations of Living, Mansfield, Ohio - understaffed  (Read 2897 times)

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Offline Oscar

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Foundations of Living, Mansfield, Ohio - understaffed
« on: September 19, 2020, 04:13:59 AM »
I found two articles. Despite the severe needs the girls have, it seems that the facility is so understaffed that there now have been two riots.

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Foundations For Living juveniles create a disturbance, 1 arrested, 5 run and are subsequently located
by Emily Johnson, Richland source, January 14 - 2014

The Mansfield Police Department, with assistance from the Richland County Sheriff's Office and the Ohio State Highway Patrol, responded to a call concerning a “riot” at Foundations For Living on Sunday, Jan. 12 at 6:48 pm. The facility is located at 1451 St. Rt. 39.

According to the police report, Mansfield Police officers were dispatched to the facility in response to a riot and an assault of staff members. The incident took place on the third floor of the facility, where juvenile residents were causing a disturbance.

The juveniles approached one of the male staff members and physically assaulted him and then took the keys to the facility, the report stated. Two other staff members who attempted to assist in handling the situation were also assaulted, said the report.

Sgt. Chad Brubaker stated that some of the staff members locked themselves in a stairwell for safety purposes.

A sixteen-year-old girl involved in the assault was arrested and transported to Juvenile Detention. Three other juveniles were issued summons and released to the custody of the facility staff, the report said.

One of the juveniles was transported to MedCentral by the Mansfield Fire Department after allegedly hitting a wall and harming herself according to Sgt. Brubaker.

The report noted that none of the staff members required medical treatment.

Sgt. Brubaker stated, “We were able to initiate arrests and manage the situation quickly upon arrival.”

According to the report, two other juveniles ran away from the facility prior to the officers' arrival, and they were entered into LEADS system as runaways.

Then, on Monday morning at 10:17 am, Richland County Sheriff's Deputy Jeff Winbigler was dispatched to 880 Laver Road and the area of the Heatherwood Plaza in reference to several juveniles hanging around the area since Sunday night, said the sheriff's report.

As the area was being searched, another call came in stating that five juveniles were hiding in the laundry room at the Mansfield Inn, the report stated.

Deputy Winbigler stated in the report, “Upon pulling into the parking lot I saw the juveniles run into the back parking lot of the motel. I went to the rear of the motel and found all five running across the parking lot and into a wooded area.”

The report further stated that the juveniles were taken into custody. Although none of them admitted to being runaways from the facility, it was later confirmed that they were the juveniles missing from the incident that occurred Sunday night, said the report.

The juveniles were transported back to Foundations For Living and released into staff custody, the report concluded.

According to their website , Foundations For Living is a mid-to-long-term residential treatment center for youth 11 to 17 years of age, with a minimum IQ of 55. The 84-bed center is accredited by CARF and licensed by the Ohio Department of Mental Health.

The facility has a significant history of police calls. From Jan. 1, 2013 to Jan. 12, 2014, the Mansfield Police Department recorded a total of 108 calls for service: 33 for assault; 15 for structure fires, which were largely false alarms or alarm issues; attempted suicides; medical assists; sex crimes, and theft.

Staff at Foundations of Living refused to comment and demanded that the media vacate the premises.


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Five teens issued summonses after 'riot' at Foundations for Living
Mansfield News Journal, by Monroe Trombly and Lou Whitmire, December 11 - 2019


MANSFIELD - Five teenage girls were issued summonses on charges ranging from rioting, disorderly conduct, assault and resisting arrest after an employee at Foundations for Living reported that residents were trying to take over a floor at the treatment facility Tuesday night.

Two juvenile girls were issued summonses and released to staff after a man told police they had struck him in the face with a closed fist. In the report, police say the man had a visible injury to his bottom lip.

In addition, two other juvenile girls were issued summonses for disorderly conduct and released to staff, while a fifth girl was transported to the Juvenile Justice Center after police said in the report she slipped out of her handcuffs and cursed at officers. She was issued summonses for resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

The treatment facility at 1451 Ohio 39 South is the subject of frequent police calls. Mansfield police Capt. Shari Robertson said records show that from Jan. 1, 2018, to Oct. 15, 2019,  police have responded exactly 250 times to the facility on a variety of calls including injured persons, runaways and more.

The most frequent calls to Foundations for Living are to runaways juveniles, assaults and disturbances, Robertson said.

A supervisor at the facility called 911 around 7 p.m. Tuesday, according to the 911 recording, and said six juveniles were involved. She said she wasn't sure if anyone was injured. The dispatcher said to call back if anyone was injured and dispatch would call emergency squads to the facility.

"We have a whole unit that is out of control. They are scattered literally everywhere throughout the building. They have metal pieces that they have broken off the doors," the supervisor said on the tape.

When police first arrived, employees told officers that two juvenile girls had assaulted a 30-year-old man after running from the recreation yard, and that one of the girls had a "sharp metal object" fashioned as a weapon. Police were informed that three other juvenile girls were still in the recreation yard attempting to climb a fence to escape.

Police located the first two girls, ordered them to the ground, and took them into custody without incident.

One of them had given the metal piece to a staff member before police arrived, according to the report.

When police located the other three girls in the recreation yard, one was handcuffed without incident, and another started to run from police but complied when told to stop and get on the ground, the report states.

The third girl was at first handcuffed without incident, police said in the report, but she pulled away from an officer, slipped out of her handcuffs, and yelled, "F*** the police." After a short struggle, she was placed in handcuffs again, the report states.

The five girls cited in the report are between 12 and 17 years old.

Five Mansfield police cruisers were seen shortly before 8 p.m. Tuesday outside the residential treatment center, which provides mental health and substance abuse/dependence treatment to adolescents.

Karen Spires, CEO for Foundations for Living, responded to News Journal questions in an email.

"Foundations for Living is an 84-bed resident treatment facility for youth between the ages of 11-18. Our residents have mental health, substance use disorders and complex behavioral issues; and we also serve survivors of human trafficking," Spires said.

Most of the youth at the center are from Ohio but the facility does serve youth from surrounding states, she said. The average length of treatment is four to six months, depending on the treatment plan required.

"Working with troubled youth, we believe children can rise to their full potential when they are grounded in the norms of social behavior and supported by a root structure of values and attitudes that nurture self-discipline, responsibility and a sense of self-worth, Spires said.

"As a facility we strive to continuously improve our processes and will certainly review this incident to identify what processes may need to be addressed to prevent future incidents," she said.

"At Foundations for Living, we offer proven, evidence-based programs that capitalize on the strengths of youth with emotional or behavioral problems. We have talented, dedicated professionals who inspire youth— even those who have failed in previous programs — to shed the weight and pain of their past, lift their sights to the limitless sky…and soar," Spires said.

She thanked the police for their swift response.

So far this month, police responded to facility for six calls: four calls for police and two calls for the Mansfield Fire Department.

At 7:23 a.m. Wednesday, Mansfield firefighters responded to the facility for an accidental fire alarm pull. There was no fire, according to the fire department.


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Mansfield Police respond to Foundations for Living for 'riot' Tuesday night
by Monroe Trombly, Mansfield News Journal, December 11 - 2019

MANSFIELD - Mansfield police and the Richland County Sheriff's Office responded to Foundations for Living, 1451 Ohio 39, shortly after 7 p.m. Tuesday for a report of a "riot," and police were told that residents were attempting to "take over a floor," according to a report from the Mansfield Police Department. 

Two juvenile girls were issued summonses and released to staff after a man told police they had struck him in the face with a closed fist. In the report, police say the man had a visible injury to his bottom lip.

In addition, two other juvenile girls were issued summonses for disorderly conduct and released to staff, while a fifth girl was transported to the Juvenile Justice Center after police said in the that report she slipped out of her handcuffs and cursed at officers. She was issued summonses for resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

When police first arrived, employees told police that two juvenile girls had assaulted a 30-year-old man after running from the recreation yard, and that one of the girls had a "sharp metal object" fashioned as a weapon. Police were informed that three other juvenile girls were still in the recreation yard attempting to climb a fence to escape.

Police located the first two girls, ordered them to the ground, and they were taken into custody without incident.

One of them had given the metal piece to a staff member before police arrived, according to the report.

When police located the other three girls in the recreation yard, one was handcuffed without incident, the report states. Another started to run from police, but when told to stop and get on the ground, she complied.

While the third girl was at first handcuffed without incident, police said in the report that she pulled away from an officer, slipped out of her handcuffs, and yelled, "f*** the police." After a short struggle, she was placed in handcuffs again, the report states.

The five girls mentioned in the report are anywhere from 12-17 years old. Five Mansfield Police cruisers could be seen shortly before 8 p.m. Tuesday outside the residential treatment center, which provides mental health and substance abuse/dependence treatment to adolescents.

An employee at the center declined comment.