Where We've Been and Where We Are Going - Part 1

As some of you may know, Sunny Hills has undergone significant changes over the last several years as we transitioned away from being principally a provider of residential services to severely emotionally disturbed youth to what can be characterized today as a diversified agency offering a range of programs to families with children with special needs.

Until recently, the most visible manifestation of Sunny Hills’ mission in action was the San Anselmo campus. This campus has long been the “heart” of Sunny Hills and it will continue to serve as an important resource for families with children with special needs. But this notion of “heart” is more of a figurative than literal description of the agency as it is today; an essential aspect of Sunny Hills’ evolution has also been our expansion to new geographic locales. Today, the agency operates programs in Sonoma, Alameda and Marin counties and our services extend even further to neighboring counties—Napa and Contra Costa counties, to name just two.

This evolution has made it possible for the agency to serve more children, youth and families in more places. I wanted to highlight, in particular, our presence in Sonoma County which has continued to expand since we opened our first program, the Sonoma Kinship Family Center, nearly four years ago. Our Sonoma operations represent approximately $3 million (35%) of our total agency budget and this year we expect to deliver services to more than 400 youth in addition to their parents and other family members. We are now the provider of choice for Sonoma County youth with mental health issues who are involved with the juvenile probation system.

The growth in Sonoma can be attributed to the specialized services we are able to provide and the County’s desire to partner with us to address a number of emerging, high-need areas. In November 2007, Sunny Hills launched the Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) program, a community-based program designed to address the mental health needs of juvenile offenders and their families. Sunny Hills was selected by the Sonoma County Department of Probation given our reputation and experience providing flexible, community-based mental health services. The County is now considering expanding the ACT program to offer services to youth “stepping down” from out-of-home placements, e.g. group care or residential treatment facilities, who will require additional support upon their return to the community and their home.

Most recently (in collaboration with the City of Santa Rosa’s Measure O initiative and the Sonoma County departments of Probation and Mental Health), Sunny Hills designed a program to address the growing need for gang prevention and intervention services in the County. Project PRIDE is an extension of our Community Engagement/Youth Development program (CEYD), an initiative launched in early 2008 designed to prevent youth involvement in gangs, and intervene swiftly when they do. Project PRIDE draws upon best practices learned from the ACT program model and applies them to our work with gang-affiliated youth.

Beginning on September 1, 2009, Project PRIDE will work specifically with Santa Rosa juveniles on probation who have known or suspected gang affiliations and who also struggle with mental health issues. Currently, the Sonoma County Department of Probation has two dedicated probation units serving approximately 120 gang-affiliated youth each year (70 percent of whom reside in Santa Rosa). During this pilot year, Project PRIDE will work with approximately 12 to 18 youth at any given time. Project PRIDE is a “wraparound program,” meaning services are highly individualized and delivered in a range of community-based settings, as opposed to a more traditional office environment.

Sunny Hills’ employee, Bob Florez, will serve as the program director for CEYD and Project PRIDE. Also this year, Bob is overseeing the CEYD program’s expansion to Petaluma by virtue of a grant received from the Community Health Foundation of Greater Petaluma to deliver gang intervention services in that community. I’m sure Bob would welcome input from our community, so feel free to contact him by email at bflorez@sunnyhillsservices.org.

Next week: a spotlight on Sunny Hills’ East Bay division, Bay Area Youth Centers.