A little over 2 years ago the Youth Service Bureau of Jay County, Inc. (YSB) was fortunate to have the opportunity to apply for funding through the Strengthening Youth Programs in Indiana initiative, a Lilly Endowment project. The YSB was selected to receive 100% of the funding that was requested which included funds to help with employee retention and recruitment, basketball court improvements at our Residential Facility, a new van for the Residential Program, a camera system for security and safety, and the creation of our Supervised Visitation Facility.

I am thrilled to announce our Supervised Visitation Facility is finished and ready to start serving our clients! We will be having an open house to celebrate the opening on September 18, 2025 from 12 pm to 5 pm, including a special ribbon cutting ceremony at 1:30 pm. The address for this event is 603 West Arch Street Portland, Indiana which is our main office. Please enter the event through the east doors of the main office. There will be food and refreshments available.

The creation of the Supervised Visitation Facility came about because of the need for safe, private, and adequate space for supervised visitations. Through our community based contract with the Department of Child Services (DCS) we provide a lot of supervised visitations. Many of these are conducted in the community, which while not ideal, is our only option many times. Community locations are often public places like parks and libraries. These spaces are typically great spaces, but do not provide the privacy that families need for these types of visits. Sometimes, conversations must be had in these visits that could be embarrassing to parents if done in public. Sometimes, there are safety concerns around the location. For example; a park close to a busy street where a young child could run into the street or a public space where someone could show up who has been court ordered not to.

Our new facility provides clients with a safe space as the yard is completely fenced in with a 6 foot high privacy fence. This not only provides the much needed privacy for the client, but also keeps the little children contained within the area while keeping any unwanted visitors out. The supervised visit building provides the same opportunity, but for the entire year. Going to the park is an option in the warm months, but when the weather is bad inside places where kids can run around and be kids during a visit is very limited and with no privacy. Our building provides ample space for kids to run around and play during a visit any time of the year.

The outside space consists of a play set with 3 slides and a climbing wall, swings, balance beams, a climbing turtle, a merry-go-around, a small sandbox, picnic tables, a basketball court, and a walking path. Our inside space includes a comfortable seating area, a basic kitchen area, a basketball goal, toys, and a large wide open area to run and play.

We would like to thank Muhlenkamp Construction, Hatzell Bros. Standing Seam Solutions, Moeller Door and Window, Denny’s Door Company, Fullenkamp Drywall, Bryan Sutton Painting, D & D Plumbing, Heating, and Air Conditioning, Wabash Electric, Gabbard Fencing, KBL, and Serendipity Play Systems for helping to make this dream come to life.

We also want to give a very special thanks to the Lilly Endowment for creating this forward thinking, highly needed, initiative to help improve the lives of our youth!

Please stop by on the 18^th of September to see the facility in person and let us tell you more about the work we are doing here at the YSB.