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Volunteers of America explains group‑home and independent living services; director says city funding not renewed for 2025
Summary
Volunteers of America presented details of its Milestones Group Home and independent‑living programs serving Sheridan youth. VOA reported recent service counts, program rules and outcomes and said the city did not fund the programs this year.
John Tangestahl, director of Youth and Outreach Services for Volunteers of America, described the organization’s Milestones Group Home and independent‑living programs to the Sheridan City Council.
Tangestahl said Milestones has two types of beds: voluntary crisis beds for short‑term respite (birth to 18, typically not under age 10) and longer‑term group‑home beds that are often court‑ordered. The program is open 24 hours, provides individual case plans, educational support and community involvement opportunities, and seeks to prevent placement in higher levels of care.
He said Volunteers of America served 81 youth in the group home in 2024 with an 89% successful discharge rate. He reported that to date in the current year the program has served 55 youth with nearly a 95% successful discharge rate and that the provider typically maintains a caseload in the 70s.
On client needs, Tangestahl reported roughly 80% of youth have a mental‑health condition, about half present with substance‑use issues and about 40% have planned or attempted suicide at some point. Longer‑term group‑home residents had higher reported rates of prior abuse, he said.
The independent‑living program serves youth ages 14–21 (up to 23 in special cases), includes weekly group sessions and requires residents to receive at least one hour of case management per week, attend independent‑living classes and hold part‑time employment or schooling. Tangestahl said the program has 16 transitional beds and 13 were spoken for through July; he said the program’s caseload is roughly 50 youth.
On funding, he said the independent‑living program receives a small federal grant and relies on private donations; the group‑home program is funded in part by state payments. "These two programs have very small budgets, and we rely heavily on state, federal, county, city funding to provide these quality programs," Tangestahl said. He told the council he understood the city chose not to fund VOA this year and asked for future conversations about funding decisions.
Council members asked operational questions. Tangestahl said VOA can accept placements from outside Sheridan County when state funding and courtesy supervision arrangements with Department of Family Services are arranged. He said parents do not pay for short‑term respite placements.
Why it matters: the programs serve vulnerable youth in Sheridan and surrounding areas and rely on a mix of grants, donations and local government funding to operate.
