Youth-Centered Continuum of Care

Offers a Life Skills Program for homeless young adults aged 18–35 to develop skills for obtaining and maintaining stable, permanent housing. Includes job readiness training, counseling, youth groups, and assistance with housing and income; served 50 individuals in 2025.

Operates the only certified emergency youth shelter in Schenectady County for youth aged 16–20, including teen parents and their children, who are homeless, runaways, or at risk of sexual exploitation. The 12-bed facility served 110 youth in 2025 and has capacity to serve 14- and 15-year-olds in special circumstances.

Operates an anti-trafficking program serving seven counties in New York State (Fulton, Montgomery, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren, and Washington), providing intensive case management, counseling, referrals, and supportive services to survivors of sex and labor trafficking. Served more than 40 survivors in 2025.

Conducts trauma-centered, street-based outreach to runaway, homeless, and at-risk youth ages 12–21 in Schenectady County, including education on risks of sexual exploitation and human trafficking. Reached approximately 500 youth in 2023 and served over 500 individuals in 2025 through outreach.

Offers free training on human trafficking identification and response to hospitals, law enforcement, human services agencies, and other organizations across the Capital Region and North Country.

Provides six months of family-based aftercare services post-residential program, delivered through Regional Family Service Coordinators across Upstate New York to support youth and families during community reintegration.

Offers the Paws First animal-assisted intervention program, using dog training and animal companionship to build youth confidence, self-esteem, and safety awareness, including animal-assisted activities as part of therapy.

Initiated a project to improve safety and security at specific locations on its 650-acre campus.

Engages youth in goal development with interdisciplinary treatment teams and celebrates progress through recognition ceremonies and special activities.

Adopted a constitution in 1898 granting girls the right to vote, created Loch Urquhart in 1968 through a youth-led vocational program, and became the first private residential treatment center in New York State licensed by OCSF in 1996 to serve youth who have engaged in sexually harmful behavior.

Organizes annual holiday meals at local restaurants and off-campus venues like Greek Peak Mountain Resort, and provides personalized holiday gifts to every young person in care based on individual preferences.

Delivers structured and unstructured recreational activities using on-site amenities (equine center, ropes course, field house, fishing pond, nature trails, sports courts) and implements a comprehensive Life Skills curriculum to prepare youth for family reunification or independent living.

Operates an on-site licensed medical clinic (accredited as an Article 29-I facility) with doctors, nurses, licensed psychologists, and psychiatric nurse practitioners providing behavioral and physical health services to youth.

Operates the Van Clef Outpatient Substance Treatment Program and a licensed outpatient program providing education, counseling, coping strategies, and naloxone training to youth affected by substance use; includes on-campus internships in this program.

Provides residential care for high-risk, high-need youth in New York who have been historically underserved, offering individualized therapeutic programming through interdisciplinary treatment teams following comprehensive health assessments.

Provides special education instruction for students in grades 7–12 with a staff-to-student ratio of 6:1:1 or 6:1:2 at GJR UFSD, alongside career exploration and hands-on work experience programs across 18 disciplines.

Provides specialized supports for youth with dual diagnoses through the Pathways to Independence and Skills for Success programs, aimed at improving daily living skills and independence.

Operates the Therapeutic After-School Program in Tompkins County to prevent the need for residential treatment, with participation linked to significant reductions in aggressive and concerning behaviors across home, school, and community settings.