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Clermont County juvenile court to open community resource center after competitive Reclaim award; commissioners ask facilities review
Summary
Clermont County juvenile court leaders described a newly funded community resource center intended to expand local alternatives to detention under the state Reclaim program. Commissioners asked facilities staff to inspect the proposed county building and report back while staff begin operating the center.
Clermont County juvenile court officials told the Board of County Commissioners on April 25 that a newly awarded competitive Reclaim grant will fund a community resource center intended to keep youth out of detention and link families to services.
Juvenile court administrator Gary Bridal said the county received a competitive award in December that totals $300,000. Bridal said Reclaim — a state program that began in 1994 — combines base subsidy allocations with competitive awards to support community-based options and reduce placements in the Ohio Department of Youth Services.
"The plan is also to fund that with subsidy moving forward," Bridal said, describing the grant as seed money that the court expects to supplement in later years with regular Reclaim subsidy funds. He said the Reclaim program has reduced state institution populations and provided long-term funding to local services.
Paige, identified at the meeting as director of the community resource center, described the center’s mission as assessing youth and connecting families to services to prevent escalation to court involvement. She said the center will prioritize navigation and referrals with flexible hours and intends to offer weekend and evening options as it grows. "Navigation is key," Paige said, adding that the center will work with schools, school resource officers and community partners to identify families who can be diverted from formal court processing.
Commissioners and staff discussed where the center will operate. Bridal said the Reclaim RFP requires the center to operate outside the courthouse. The court has identified space in an existing county building for initial operations, but Commissioner David L. Painter and other commissioners raised concerns about that building’s condition and long-term suitability.
Commissioners requested that county facilities staff inspect the chosen space, report needed repairs, and coordinate with administration about the county campus master plan, due in May. County administrator Ralph Lenny said the master-plan findings will inform whether the building should be renovated or replaced. "Any upgrade on that building will be outside of that scope, which throws a red flag," a commissioner said, noting capital-budget implications.
Bridal and Paige provided additional operational details: they expect an initial caseload drawn from school referrals and community partners and estimated they may see roughly 50 to 75 families in the early phase; staffing currently includes three people assigned to the effort, and Paige is the only staff member currently paid from the grant. Bridal described the competitive award as a two-year opportunity that the court plans to sustain afterward with subsidy funding.
The board did not take a formal vote on program launch or site changes at the meeting. Commissioners directed county administration and facilities to meet with juvenile court leaders and produce a pathway forward that preserves the grant timeline while addressing building safety, sprinkler and alarm questions, and budget impacts.
The discussion followed a broader presentation on Reclaim funding that described the program’s state-level allocations, historical reductions in state-institution placements, and the county’s longstanding participation in the initiative.
