By Stacy Gromatski, President and CEO of the Florida Network of Youth and Family Services.
Our “Sunshine State” is a shining example of many wonderful things – and most surely among them is the overarching priority we place on nurturing and protecting our children and families. That includes actively providing help to those children who have serious problems, often facing insurmountable odds, and those who can’t manage daily living in consistently healthy ways.
That’s our mission every day at The Florida Network of Youth and Family Services. Our organization is a statewide Network of organizations that provide shelter, counseling, and family skill building. These programs are designed to help children and families in various forms of crises. In America’s third largest state, this network provides intake and counseling services in all of Florida’s 67 counties — and offers 28 shelters for those needing respite. There’s nearby help in nearly every part of Florida.
Our Network, an association of youth-serving programs throughout the state, began in the early 1970s when youth in search of a different life often ran away from home. These youth were often lured down a disastrous path. The stark truth was that these young people frequently met dark fates – being robbed, beaten, molested, or even killed.
In response, Congress appropriated funds for runaway shelters which were opened in metropolitan areas for children to get to safety and, hopefully, eventually returned to their parents.
In the decades since, the need for shelters for children has evolved and, in fact, substantially increased. As CEO of the Florida Network, I frequently hear stories about families who are desperate for help. Often, these families don’t know that there are resources available to help them in their own communities.
Children today seek shelter for a variety of reasons. Parents and families frustrated by their inability to help turn a troubled child around eventually realize they need outside professional help. It is somewhat common for parents to sadly conclude their child’s behavior has become unmanageable. Under Florida’s related laws, the term is “ungovernable.”
In desperation, parents’ outreach for help comes with pleas such as: “I don’t know what to do with him anymore;” “he’s in trouble at school for fighting and won’t listen;” “she didn’t come home last night;” “I think he’s hanging out with the wrong kids.” Sometimes, it’s more frightening: “I’m afraid he’s going to hurt me;” or “I’m worried she’s going to kill herself.”
These are truly dire scenarios. But it is not uncommon for our programs to also offer services to children who have been trafficked, who are being neglected or abused, and increasingly, for children with no place to live.
Our statewide network of these impactful youth and family services represents a respected national model. Few states have such a uniform system to care for children and to help families. We are deeply grateful for the vision and wisdom regularly asserted by members of the Florida Legislature and their predecessors. In true and historic bipartisan spirit, as a result, there is a statute in place that provides for a continuum of services available to families when they are often in desperate straits.
The good news is that our state is a national model for positively addressing these issues in our statewide network of nurturing shelters. From the data we collect on the significant impact of the statewide children’s services that we support, the numbers are stunningly hopeful in these meaningful ways:
• More than 88% of the children we help return home or to an appropriate living environment.
• More than 90% are attending school regularly – learning to build and achieve their better future.
• Wonderfully, 89% of children helped by our service providers do not go ‘off the track’ or become “delinquent.”
State leaders have consistently recognized that an ‘ounce of prevention’ is indeed worth a pound of cure. In fact, the Florida Network has completed three independent research studies about the return on investment, from groups such as Florida TaxWatch and the Justice Research Center. Most recently, Analytic Initiatives found that there is a $9.19 return on investment for every $1 invested in Florida Network services. That underscores how important and cost-effective it is to invest in early intervention for children and families in need of services.
If you know a family that is struggling with their child (ages 6-17), let them know about the Florida Network website at floridanetwork.org — where they can find a local provider that will assist them with an action plan that works for their family.
Just last year, nearly $410 million in cost savings were realized through Florida Network services. The conclusion: our proven programs, supported through our positive partnership with the state’s Department of Juvenile Justice, are not about what it costs. It is about what they save: children’s lives and family integrity.
Stacy Gromatski, President and CEO of the Florida Network of Youth and Family Services, believes there is no greater honor than to work in a field that seeks to ensure every young person has a path forward to a bright future. She may be reached at stacy@floridanetwork.org
