(20 ILCS 505/17) (from Ch. 23, par. 5017)
Sec. 17. Youth and Community Services Program. The Department of Human Services shall develop a State program for youth and community services which will assure that youth who come into contact or may come into contact with the child welfare and the juvenile justice systems will have access to needed community, prevention, diversion, emergency and independent living services. The term "youth" means a person under the age of 19 years. The term "homeless youth" means a youth who cannot be reunited with his or her family and is not in a safe and stable living situation. This Section shall not be construed to require the Department of Human Services to provide services under this Section to any homeless youth who is at least 18 years of age but is younger than 19 years of age; however, the Department may, in its discretion, provide services under this Section to any such homeless youth.
(a) The goals of the program shall be to:
(1) maintain children and youths in their own
community;
(2) eliminate unnecessary categorical funding of
programs by funding more comprehensive and integrated programs;
(3) encourage local volunteers and voluntary
associations in developing programs aimed at preventing and controlling juvenile delinquency;
(4) address voids in services and close service gaps;
(5) develop program models aimed at strengthening the
relationships between youth and their families and aimed at developing healthy, independent lives for homeless youth;
(6) contain costs by redirecting funding to more
comprehensive and integrated community-based services; and
(7) coordinate education, employment, training and
other programs for youths with other State agencies.
(b) The duties of the Department under the program shall be to:
(1) design models for service delivery by local
communities;
(2) test alternative systems for delivering youth
services;
(3) develop standards necessary to achieve and
maintain, on a statewide basis, more comprehensive and integrated community-based youth services;
(4) monitor and provide technical assistance to local
boards and local service systems;
(5) assist local organizations in developing programs
which address the problems of youths and their families through direct services, advocacy with institutions, and improvement of local conditions; and
(6) develop a statewide adoption awareness campaign
aimed at pregnant teenagers.
(Source: P.A. 89-507, eff. 7-1-97.)
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Last modified: February 18, 2015