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Community Services NYFS Community Services helps individuals and families regain stability, build resilience, and access resources that promote health and healing. Youth Pathways We provide empowering services to youth and their families by offering an alternative to the traditional juvenile justice system. Our services promote youth accountability, meet individual and family underlying needs, reduce recidivism, and offer youth a vision for their own purpose and potential. YOUTH DIVERSION: Youth Diversion serves youth ages 12-17 who have justice system involvement including illegal behavior such as theft, disorderly conduct, or alcohol/drug use. Using restorative principles, we help youth take accountability for the incident and harm caused, build positive decision - making skills, and get back on track. We provide an intake meeting with a caregiver and create an individualized contract based on their needs. Contracts often include community service, seminar attendance with a caregiver, apology letters, chemical or mental health referrals, drug testing, and/or restitution. We also provide regular check -ins with staff for support. By addressing underlying needs, we significantly reduce the likelihood that youth will reoffend in the future. COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS: Community Connections is a seven -week, group -based experience for youth that builds social skills, self-confidence, and resilience through career exploration, self -reflection, volunteer activities, and contacts with other community organizations. We offer this to youth who will benefit from building deeper, healthier connections with their peers, adults, and community. Together, we focus on community service, work skills identification, and development of key life skills such as nutrition, fitness, time management and routines, and budgeting. We create opportunities for youth to build meaningful connections with their peers and supportive adults, while learning about resources in their community that will help them now and in the future. Community Advocate Program In partnership with five local law enforcement departments, our community advocate co -creates public safety by supporting community members whose needs fall outside the scope of law enforcement. We serve adults through short-term resources and referrals or long-term case management. Within a harm reduction framework, our advocate provides: crisis stabilization services, community resources, economic assistance, referrals for mental health and/or chemical health services, housing support, senior services, and parenting resources. Our advocate strengthens the community by addressing the individual community member's underlying needs while reducing reliance on law enforcement. They serve as a bridge between community members, law enforcement, case managers, and family/caregivers.