Building Local Continuums of Care to Support Youth

The Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs (OJA) will conduct a planning and assessment model by sub-awarding 40% of the grant award to the STAAR (Services That Assist And Redeem) Foundation. The Pathways to Excellence is a multi-prong approach that is designed to elevate marginalized and underserved community voice, while simultaneously providing evidence-based services designed to redeem, transform, and support youth and families with mentors, facilitators, and staff with diverse backgrounds and lived experience. OJA will hire a full time lead coordinator who will also serve with STAAR CEO and Founder as the Community Based Continuum of Care Coordinator, a full time Continuum of Care Youth and Family Engagement Coordinator who will use relationship-building to elevate and empower youth and family voice in policy recommendations and system improvement, and a Data Manager to assist with the Data Tracking, Reporting, and Development of the final Strategic Plan designed to bring cost savings to the state while strengthening and supporting evidence-based and promising programs that are effective. The Building Local Continuums of Care to Support Oklahoma Youth Project will establish a framework to connect juvenile justice system improvement efforts with child-serving organizations across the state to address the overrepresentation of minority youth in the justice system, and to build an effective cross-agency network of services and resources that reduce the use of secure detention, improve family and community connections, and produce better outcomes for youth. STAAR will work closely with the lead coordinator to bring culturally responsive resources, supports, programming, and expertise. The STAAR Foundation is in partnership with the Oklahoma Labor Department, Oklahoma County Juvenile Bureau, Industry Union Leaders, Industry Employers, Higher Education, Career Technology Centers, and OJA to implement an evidence-based mentoring life skills program evaluated by the National Mentoring Resource Center.