Youth Villages Georgia transforming residential care through expansion campaign

Nov 14, 2024 | Blog

Inner Harbour celebrates ribbon-cutting, 15 years of serving Georgia youth and families

Youth Villages held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its Inner Harbour campus in Douglasville to commemorate two milestones. The organization celebrated the 15th anniversary of its merger with Inner Harbour and the completion of phase one of its three-phase ‘Elevate’ campaign, a transformation of residential facilities to enhance the youth and staff experience.

Youth Villages is enhancing the level of care provided to youth at Inner Harbour by investing in new structures to provide the highest level of care for youth. The new buildings will add more than 100,000 square feet of new therapeutic space that will benefit youth for decades into the future.

Listen to what Tanya Anderson, executive director of Inner Harbour had to say about the ipmact this transformation will have on residential care:

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by staff, children and key dignitaries from the greater Atlanta and Douglas County area. Executive Director Tanya Anderson gave a heartfelt welcome, talking about the resiliency of our youth and staff, and the importance of proper care to help improve the mental health and well-being of our young people.

Youth Villages board members also gave warm remarks about the impact of the Elevate campaign. Norah, a youth at Inner Harbour, read an original poem titled, “I Am Me,” and Inner Harbour’s West African drumming group performed to build enthusiasm around the milestone accomplishments.

Georgia Executive Director, Tanya Anderson

Norah with her mom and dad after reading poem

CEO, Pat Lawler speaking at ribbon cutting ceremony

This first phase included the building of a new administration building, offering state-of-the art workspaces for staff and training areas for professional development. It also includes a new youth cottage, which will increase capacity and provide space for 16 young people receiving residential care in Georgia.

Administration building (at night) with an illuminating red kite

The expansion project began in summer of 2023 and is projected to be finished by 2028. Future phases of the project will include four additional youth residence cottages that will house a total of 172 youth, a new education building and a wellness recreation center where children will be able to engage in sport activities.

Latest rendering of the new school building

Inner Harbour, located just west of Atlanta, merged with Youth Villages in 2009, becoming the largest provider of children’s behavioral health services in Georgia. The merging of Youth Villages and Inner Harbour allowed greater resources and treatment services for children and families, including addition of community-based program, Intercept, which helps prevent children from being removed from their homes and reunifies children with their families after out-of-home placement.

“What we’re doing here at Inner Harbour will impact children and our workforce for generations to come,” said Tanya Anderson, executive director of Youth Villages Georgia. “When I think of residential care, I truly believe this transformation will be the blueprint for high-quality residential care and mental health services in Georgia and other areas of the country.”

To learn more about the Elevate campaign in Georgia, please visit our website.