When families and young people reach the ‘front door’ at Youth Villages in Oregon, they meet Anna Veverka, the placement manager who is also known as ‘the puzzle solver.’

For eight years, Veverka has worked with Youth Villages and, like many people who work with our organization, has held various roles. She began her current role in 2023 after working with Intercept, a Youth Villages program helping families in the home.

Every day, she coordinates hundreds of service needs and placements across the state, ensuring families and young people entering Intercept or our other programs for young people aging out of foster care, LifeSet and the Independent Living Program (ILP), are quickly and properly assigned.

“I am piecing together a really big puzzle,” she said.

Veverka considers the location, demographics and clinical needs of a family or young person. She also keeps staff in mind and considers the types of experiences or areas of interest they have.

“When families or young people have preferences around cultural connections, identity or experience, I match them with staff members best equipped to meet their needs,” she said.

A family reached out seeking help for their child, who had a complex neurological diagnosis and a history of physically aggressive behaviors. This posed challenges if the youth needed a higher level of care before Youth Villages could provide home-based services.

Rather than giving up, Veverka began gathering information about the family. She coordinated with the child’s counselor, communicated with both parents, connected with the hospital’s staff when the youth entered a higher level of care and worked with their doctors to better understand their neurological needs and medication changes. “We wanted to make sure we fully understood the situation and whether we could make a difference,” she said.

It became more challenging when the family’s insurance posed barriers because Youth Villages was out-of-network.

“They told us our staff came to them with hope for the first time,” she said. “Connecting them with support is truly meaningful, and it’s a reminder that this work matters.”

Veverka and her team continue to go the extra mile to remove barriers.

They also focus on building stronger relationships with schools, pediatricians, residential programs and Medicaid providers across Oregon to ensure families and young people can learn about services sooner and receive the right support before a crisis occurs.

“You never know what could happen to a young person and family if they don’t get access to care,” Veverka said. “Being able to say ‘yes’ to a family makes your day.”

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