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Delaware County officials report detained youth placements and outline plan for local juvenile shelter
Summary
County juvenile court and detention officials reported current out-of-county placements and described plans to convert Clock Tower space into a local shelter, with an initial operational cap of 12 youths pending staffing and OCYF licensing, interim detention director said.
Delaware County officials reported on April 14 that several detained youths remain placed at facilities outside the county and described plans to convert space at the Clock Tower into a local juvenile shelter, while cautioning the county will limit early occupancy until staff are hired and licensed.
Daniel Dimitayo, a representative of Delaware County Juvenile Court and Probation Services, gave a rundown of current placements: “We have 2 males at the, local Delaware County Jail. We have 2 at George Junior, and we have 1 female at Montgomery County,” and then listed additional placements in the delinquency division, including males at Abraxas, Bucks County and Jefferson County and youths at Chester County, Adelphi and Montgomery County.
The report matters because county officials said creating a local shelter would reduce the number of youths housed out of county and centralize services such as education and medical care. “We want them to be successful,” Nelson Walker, interim director of Juvenile Detention and Rehabilitation Services, said as he described partnerships and an intended timeline for the Clock Tower space.
Walker described two community programs the county is collaborating with. He said YAP began work in February and “were able to see 25 unduplicated youth in their program” at the Neighborhood Resource Center and that the program is “on average seeing 12 to 19 youth daily.” He also said a targeted intensive prevention service (TIPS) launched in late March had “20 referrals already” and nine young people enrolled.
On the Clock Tower site, Walker said the county has identified space previously set aside for a senior program and noted the facility already has surveillance and that staff have “addressed any ligature points.” He described the county’s staffing and licensing plan: “We have the possibility of probably up to 30 young people, but we wouldn't wanna go beyond 12 until we've hired staff,” Walker said. He added that every staff member “has to go through 6 weeks of training prior to interaction with the young people,” and must obtain “their 3 clearances, FBI, child abuse, state police clearances.”
Walker said the county must present a program to OCYF to obtain a license for a shelter and that hiring, program planning (medical, education, transportation) and licensing steps will need to run concurrently. He told the board he expects to present a timeline for renovations, hiring and a projected opening at the next monthly meeting.
No formal action to open the facility or to appropriate funds for renovation was recorded during the meeting; the item was presented as a staff report and discussion. The board approved routine meeting minutes and later adjourned.
Looking ahead, Walker said he will return with a timeline and implementation details, including staff hiring and the licensing application to OCYF.
