Oak Park Youth Assistance outlines services, requests community involvement; district provides office space but no direct funding

Oak Park Youth Assistance told the Oak Park Board of Education on May 12 that the program provides short-term, family-focused casework, limited emergency funds, skill-building activities and referrals to longer-term treatment, and asked the community to help expand volunteer roles and fundraising.

The agency’s case worker, Karen Beeler, told the board, “I am the case worker with Oak Park Youth Assistance,” and described services that include short-term counseling, help getting students into extracurricular and skills programs, limited emergency assistance and referrals for more intensive therapy. Beeler said the office helps families address underlying needs that cause school problems, citing examples such as getting utility service restored and repairing cars to restore family transportation.

Oakland County…