Background
Youth Guidance History: Through the Good and the Bad We Stay Open
Youth Guidance serves more than 16,000 children annually through one-on-one direct services and through school change programs such as the Comer School Development Program. Of those currently served directly, 36% are Latino, 56% are African American, 6% are Caucasian and 2% are of other racial origins. We have programs in 52 Chicago Public Schools, located throughout the city...and here is how we got there:
1924 – In March, the agency was officially incorporated as the Church Mission of Help (CMH) and served only girls until 1962. A newspaper article in the late 1920’s reported the services of the agency as including: shelter, medical care and hospitalization, pre and post natal care, institutional care, clothing, financial relief, court action – especially for securing support to unmarried mothers and their children, help in securing employment, educational opportunities, vocational guidance and recreation. In addition, the agency helped strengthen the family and felt a vital response to the unmarried mother and her future usefulness and happiness. The charter was later amended so the CMH could assume guardianship of girls as well as give children for adoption. First case worker was hired – agency budget was $10,810.
1930 – The CMH office was opened on Sunday afternoons for tea to service girls who were lonely.
1935 – Second case worker was hired. First benefit was given.
1939 – CMH actively cooperated in a study through the Community Fund which looked at permanent planning for the unmarried mother rather than considering unmarried motherhood as an emergency situation.
1941 – The agency collected wire coat hangers worth .40 per hundred
1943 – 322 girls served; 125 short term services. 123 were girls; 74 children.
1945 – CMH was used as a field placement for students from University of Chicago. Agency now employed 4 workers; 2 full-time, 2 part-time.
1948 – Total agency income was $23,605.72 of which $5,831 was from client fees.
1950 – CMH changed its program emphasis from unmarried mother to troubled adolescents.
1953 – 113 girls were served. Total of 1766 cases accepted in 30 years of service.
1954 – Corporate title changed to Youth Guidance (YG).
1956 – Agency moved to 672 N. Rush where both Loyola and University of Chicago students were receiving field training at YG.
1962 – Youth Guidance became licensed as a Child Care Facility (until 1966). After a merger with Youth Service Bureau, an agency serving boys in family court, the agency became coed and assumed the name Youth Guidance – Youth Services.
1963 – The agency stated a fee policy that no client would be turned down solely for lack of payment – the agency predicted 30% of clients would be full paying; 30% welfare tax clients and 30% would receive free services.
Research on 48 cases showed school to be the primary problem.
1967 – Minutes note that the group method of treating adolescents was still considered experimental
1968 – The agency moved to 53 W. Jackson.
The community fund rated YG 100% in the area of effectiveness and growth of fund raising in relation to raising expenditures. YG was also found to be 100% adequate in quality of program staff.
1970 – “A year wrought with many serious (financial) problems and the very real possibilities of closing our doors completely to the hundreds of troubled adolescents and their families who desperately need our specialized services.” The agency was 100% privately funded with a client cost of $690/year causing financial difficulties.
1973 – The agency concluded the final phases of closing out its citywide programs to traditional one-to-one casework services. All of the agency resources were placed in the schools.
1980 – YG received the James Brown IV Award of Excellence from the Chicago Community Trust.
The following general services provided were: individual, group and family treatment; crisis intervention and other brief services; prevention programs in creative arts and peer counseling; supplementary educational, recreational and cultural enrichment activities; teacher training; consultation to school administration to school administrators; training and consultation to other public and private agencies.
1983 – 3,951 individuals were served, including adolescents and family members. The agency budget was $984,863.
AND THE LEGACY CONTINUES TO BECOME WHAT IT IS TODAY...In the past 30 years, we have grown from a budget of less than $100,000 per year to a current level of over $5 million per year.