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Juvenile Resources

Juvenile Resources

The following organizations have programs related both the Juvenile Justice and Juvenile Dependency. There are also lists on this page with Juvenile Justice resources and Juvenile Dependency resources.

Community Solutions

Community Solutions is a comprehensive human services agency serving Santa Clara County, California since 1972. See the Community Solutions website for a list of services and programs for children, families and individuals, including: mental health, substance abuse, domestic violence, trauma, juvenile services and more.

There is a 24 hour crisis line 408-683-4118 for youth ages 10 to 17 years old who are at risk, experiencing family conflict, school related problems, truancy, homelessness, curfew, and/or behavioral problems. The regular phone numbers are: (408) 842-7138 for Gilroy; (408) 779-2113 for Morgan Hill; and (408) 225-9163 for San Jose.

Catholic Charities

2625 Zanker Rd.,
San Jose, CA 95134-2107
(408) 468-0100
www.catholiccharitiesscc.org/

Catholic Charities has a lot of different services for everyone. They offer:

  • Youth Empowered for Success (YES) (408) 983-6731
    • Services and activities for Latino and Vietnamese kids, young adults, parents and families.
    • After-school programs to talk about gangs, skipping school, pregnancy and dating violence.
    • Job training, ESL, parent education.
  • Children’s Counseling Center (CCC) (408) 283-6151 x315
    Services for kids who are very emotionally disturbed, at risk, not living with their parents or victims of child abuse.

Juvenile Justice Resources

Also see our Juvenile Justice pages on Community Programs, Special Courts for Minors, and Programs for Released Minors.

There are some minors who don’t break the law, but what they do makes their parents and the community worry. The law says this behavior can be considered hurtful to himself and society. These minors are called “status offenders”.

An example of a status offender is a child who:

  • Runs away from home
  • Doesn’t go to school
  • Is out of control, or
  • Breaks curfew.

Right now only a few communities have services to help parents with troubled teens. Santa Clara County is taking steps to provide more services by creating the Status Offender Services (SOS) Task Force. The Task Force is made up of different people from the community. It will make an action plan for a system of care for this county.

Here are some places to get help in Santa Clara County. There might be other places to get help, but these are well-known:

  • Alum Rock Counseling Center (ARCC)
    1245 E. Santa Clara St.,
    San Jose, CA 95110
    (408) 294-0500
    www.alumrockcc.org
    Hotline: (408) 294-0579 , or 1-877-SOSARCC (7 days a week, 24 hours a day)

    ARCC has a lot of affordable programs and services for minors and families. They help them have and keep healthy lives. It’s mostly for kids from 11-17 years old. There are ARCC services for younger children, but they have to be referred. ARCC takes in runaways. They will help them find temporary housing.

    They also offer:

    • Youth and Family Services - Low cost counseling and support groups. For kids, teens, families and couples. In English, Spanish and Vietnamese.
    • Victims of Violent Crimes - Long-term counseling. For victims of rape, incest and assault.
    • School-Based Programs - Counseling for at risk students. Counselors work with the school to help students succeed.
    • Mobile Response Unit - A 24-hour moving crisis intervention service. Helps runaways and troubled young people and their families solve fights. They answer calls from anywhere in the county.
    • Homeless Youth Outreach - A lot of different services like counseling, help with jobs, legal help, case management, and street outreach for homeless youth.
    • Independent Living Skills Program - Helps young people, 18-26 years old, who are leaving foster care, find a place to live.
    • Family Wellness - 8-10 week program. Teaches families how to deal with family issues and fights. Role-playing is part of the program.
    • HIV/AID Prevention and Education Program - Recruits and trains high-risk kids to be Health Promoters. Then the kids teach formal and informal HIV education and prevention to other kids.
  • Bill Wilson Center
    3490 The Alameda,
    Santa Clara, CA, 95050
    (408) 243-0222
    (408) 850-6125 (Crisis Hotline)
    www.billwilsoncenter.org

    Bill Wilson Center helps families stick together. And, it helps young people solve problems and build self-esteem. They offer these services:

    • Family and Individual Counseling Center – Counseling for individuals, couples, families and groups. There are seminars on recent issues and therapy techniques for counselors.
    • School Outreach Counseling - With the Santa Clara Unified School District. Counseling for:
      • Depression,
      • Suicide,
      • Problems at home,
      • Doing badly in school,
      • Preventing drug abuse, and
      • Sexuality.

      They also help new Vietnamese immigrants and their families adjust.

    • Runaway and Homeless Shelter – 16 beds for teens who have run away, are homeless or troubled. They can stay for a short time. For kids 11-17 years old. They have counseling to bring the family together, if possible.
    • Service Center for Homeless Street Youth – Help for homeless kids:
      • Food,
      • Clothes,
      • Counseling,
      • Job training,
      • Help finding a place to live,
      • Information about HIV/AIDS,
      • How to stay safe on the street, and
      • How to prevent pregnancy
    • Transitional Housing Program - Full services for older teens (16-20). Also help homeless teen parents and their children. And long-term shelter (up to 18 months).
    • Independent Living Skills Program - Training for young people in temporary housing and foster care. Teaches:
      • How to find a job,
      • How to manage a house,
      • People skills,
      • Where to find housing,
      • Parenting, and
      • How to get help in the community.
    • Quetzal House – Live-in program for runaway teen girls in the dependency system.
    • Project Safe House - Trained people answer calls 24 hours a day. They give kids who are in trouble or in danger a safe place to go.
    • HIV Prevention/Health Education Program – They teach young people about HIV/AIDS, drug abuse and how to prevent gang violence. And train kids of all ages to be counselors for other kids.
    • Project Action - A program for sexually active teens from 12 to 21 years old. They try to lower teen pregnancy and STDs. They teach teens to make smart decisions and be responsible about sex.

    Go to the Bill Wilson Center website to get tips for parents who are having problems with their children.

  • Mexican American Community Service Agency (MACSA)
    600 Sinclair Drive
    San Jose, CA 95116
    (408) 326-0200
    http://www.macsa.org/

    MACSA has a lot of programs for the Latino community. They focus on social, money, health and education needs.

Juvenile Dependency Resources

Department of Family and Children's Services: Parents meet with social workers here to talk about case plans and how their case is going. See the County Dept. of Family and Children's Services website, which is part of the County Social Services Agency . Their address is: 373 W. Julian St. San Jose, CA 95110, Phone: (408) 501-6300 .

Also see our page on Services for Family Members in Juvenile Dependency Cases.

Local resources:

  • Kindred Souls Family Visitation Center, 2625 Zanker Rd. Suite 200, San Jose, CA (408) 283-6151 x315
  • Dependency Intake Unit, 373 W. Julian St. San Jose, CA 95110, (408) 501-6400
  • Juvenile Dependency Ombudsman , Juvenile Welfare Office of the Ombuds, 2310 North First Street, Suite 100, San Jose, CA 95131, (408) 993-4114 OMBUDS@ceo.sccgov.org
  • Parents Helping Parents (PHP) 1400 Parkmoor Ave. Suite 100, San Jose, CA 95121, Voice: (408) 727-5775 Fax: (408) 286-1116
  • California Department of Education 1430 N Street, Sacramento, CA 95814, (916) 319-0800

National resources: