Shelby County staff and partners describe YouthConnect counseling program, early uptake

Shelby County staff and partners used the Nov. 14 Racial Equity Ad Hoc Committee meeting to explain YouthConnect, a youth mental-health counseling program funded with ARPA dollars and contractually managed by the Braid Foundation.

Sandy Bromley, director of the Shelby County Division of Community Services, said two of five recommendations from a mental-health-in-the-criminal-justice mapping project were implemented: mental-health liaisons embedded in recovery courts and in the county office of reentry. She reported roughly $550,000 of a $1,000,000 allocation had been committed and suggested the remaining $450,000 be used to expand YouthConnect.

Kashay Brooks, youth mental health coordinator for the Shelby County Youth and Family Resource Center, described YouthConnect as a free counseling program for youth ages 13–18. “They get up to 12 free sessions,” Brooks said, adding that young people can choose their therapist and may receive in-person or virtual services. Brooks reported 159 young people registered for services, about 100 have started or are preparing for their first session, and the program has concluded 156 individual counseling sessions to date; roughly 75% of participants were African American and about 15% Hispanic/Latino.

Bromley said YouthConnect’s contract is with the Braid Foundation (co-founded by Dr. Shanika Smith and Kathy Emerson), and that the foundation has intentionally recruited predominantly Black and Brown clinicians to both serve youth and build provider capacity. Bromley and Brooks noted sustainability beyond ARPA will require future funding decisions and called for the committee’s recommendation to allow timely encumbrance of the remaining ARPA funds.

What’s next: staff will provide exact contract figures and proposed amendment language for the Dec. 11 committee packet so the county can encumber funds before federal deadlines.