SAFY of IN Receives OJJDP Award for Kinship Program
Clarksville, IN – Specialized Alternatives for Families and Youth of Indiana (SAFY® of IN), a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to providing high-quality services to youth and families, is pleased to announce it has been awarded a grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s (OJJDP) Opioid Affected Youth Initiative. The grant will fund SAFY’s Empowering Families Opioid Intervention Program (Kinship Support Program), which provides services to youth and families affected by opioids or other substance use.
When parents cannot care for their children due to substance use, they may be placed in the foster care system. However, they often become the responsibility of family; usually, grandparents trying to support the needs of youth who have experienced such traumatic events. Within the past year, SAFY of IN has experienced an influx of referrals to our foster care program due to disruptions in kinship homes. Through the Kinship Support Program, SAFY of IN helps families through the challenges such as transition, grief and loss, confusion, and emotional and social well-being at home and school, reducing the risk of disruption from a stable home and supporting good outcomes for youth.
SAFY of IN Executive Director Gloria Whitcraft shares, "We are honored to receive this grant award from the OJJDP Opioid Affected Youth Initiative. Substance use has affected families across Southern Indiana, and we are committed to supporting those impacted. This funding enables us to support families to secure their foundations for a healthy future.”
About SAFY of IN
At Specialized Alternatives for Families and Youth of Indiana (SAFY® of IN), we work with youth and families to reach their full potential, building the foundation of well-being we all need to contribute to our communities. For nearly 35 years, SAFY of IN has been driven by our mission of Preserving Families and Securing Futures, offering a blueprint of services based on research addressing the roots of trauma while effecting lasting change. Our model of care includes family preservation, reunification, and when needed, therapeutic foster care. This solid structure offers the tools to develop and maintain stable mental, physical, and emotional foundations to weather the storms where they are – home, school, work, or community.
This press release was prepared under grant #15PJDP-22-GG-03275-JJOP from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), U.S. Department of Justice. Points of view or opinions expressed in this document are those of the author/s and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of OJJDP or the U.S. Department of Justice.