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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Leonard Leveille, Director of Prevention Programs at JCCA
6:23:38
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142 sec
Leonard Leveille, Director of Prevention Programs at JCCA, testified about their Second Chances program, which provides mental health support and counseling for court-involved youth aged 12-17. The program offers short-term therapy and referrals to long-term care programs, addressing issues such as trauma, grief, and family conflicts.
- Post-COVID, the program has observed an ongoing crisis among young people, with increased exposure to trauma, poverty, and community violence.
- JCCA staff uses a trauma-informed and strength-based approach to address youth challenges.
- The program also includes a job readiness component to support youth in the community.
Leonard Leveille
6:23:38
Good afternoon, chair Shalman, chair Lee, and members of the health and mental health committees.
6:23:43
Thank you for calling this hearing and inviting JCCA and our young people to testify.
6:23:47
My name is Leonard Lavelle, and I have fifteen years of child welfare experience, nine of those being at JCCA.
6:23:54
Currently, I am a director overseeing two prevention programs that both support youth, both with mental health and behavioral concerns.
6:24:01
Thank you for the ongoing support for our city council funded court involved youth and mental health initiative, also known in j at JCC as second chances.
6:24:11
Second chances provide opportunities for young people who are court involved between the ages of 12 and 17 and provides a preventive measure for youth in the community who are dealing with truancy, suspension, fights in the community, and substance abuse.
6:24:26
Second Chances does an initial screening and then provide short term therapy for six months.
6:24:32
The majority of our participants receive thirty to sixty minutes of individual counseling once a week depending on their needs.
6:24:38
The counseling is individualized to the young person needs based on the initial assessment and issues that can be addressed, the trauma, grief, family conflict, and inappropriate sexual behavior.
6:24:50
For those who need long term help, we can provide referrals to our long term care programs at JCCA such as the Article thirty one clinic and health homes and other community providers.
6:25:00
Post COVID, our program has observed that young people continue to be in crisis.
6:25:05
The impact has shown the importance of mental health services within the adolescent population.
6:25:12
Youth have experienced increased exposure to trauma such as poverty, community violence, broken family relations, and general lack of resources.
6:25:21
Often youth do not have appropriate coping skills to deal with the trauma.
6:25:25
To address the challenges they face, JCCA staff provides services in trauma informed and strength based approach that carefully considers each youth's needs, circumstances, and linking them to referrals in the community.
6:25:38
You've come to Second Chance to be part of a positive peer group while you speak as a range
UNKNOWN
6:25:42
of Thank you.
6:25:42
Your time's expired.
Lynn Schulman
6:25:43
Just to you can summarize and and, you know, just summarize and end your testimony.
6:25:48
Go ahead.
Leonard Leveille
6:25:49
No problem.
6:25:49
No problem.
6:25:50
So we also have a job readiness program that's also important to our youth in the community.
6:25:56
Thing I want to thank you for taking the time to hear about our second chances program.