Youth services loses juvenile‑justice hub grant; department to reorganize work and hire replacement staff

Tompkins County Youth Services on Sept. 17 told the Health & Human Services Committee it did not receive a competitive juvenile‑justice hub grant but is using the work from the application to coordinate local partners and reorganize responses for youth needs. Youth Services Director Kate Shanks Booth said the county competed in the urban category and faced an uphill battle; despite not receiving the grant, staff are meeting with probation, the Department of Social Services and community partners to create a more organized, holistic response for youth services. She thanked partner staff — including Mona from CJC and Shavon from Southside — for assisting with the grant effort. Staffing: Shanks Booth told the committee the department recently lost a youth service specialist, Donovan Birdie, who accepted a job in California after helping update the department’s website. The department has submitted a request to fill that vacancy and planned to post the position soon, she said. Why it matters: the lost grant affects the department’s ability to fund expanded juvenile-justice hub functions, but local coordination may preserve key services. The vacancy will affect Youth Services’ capacity until filled. Committee follow-up: members discussed collaborative networks that address vaping and youth mental health; Shanks Booth said she co-chairs the Collaborative Solutions Network (CSN) and that prevention groups including the Coalition for Healthy Youth have merged workstreams to address vaping and other youth mental‑health issues. Ending: Youth Services will post the specialist vacancy and continue partner meetings aimed at strengthening local supports for youth.