FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Craig Cannon, Senior Public Relations Coordinator, Youth Villages
980-312-2957 | craig.cannon@youthvillages.org

Charlotte, NC – (April 1, 2025) – Youth Villages, a nonprofit organization providing services to address children’s mental and behavioral health needs, today announced it was awarded a $1.1 million grant to expand its evidence-based Intercept program in South Carolina.

Working in collaboration with South Carolina Department of Social Services, this grant will help make Youth Villages’ Intercept program available to more counties across the state whose children need services to address serious mental and emotional challenges.

Intercept is an intensive in-home program that is designated “Well-supported” by the Federal Administration for Children and Families Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse. Its expansion in South Carolina will reduce the burden on the state’s child welfare system by safely preventing children from entering out-of-home care or to reunify them with family as quickly as possible if out-of-home care is necessary.

“Youth Villages’ Intercept program has been operating in South Carolina since 2023 and has allowed us an opportunity to help strengthen families coming into contact with the child welfare system,” said Paul Enderson, executive director of Youth Villages South Carolina “This grant will allow us to scale services to help over 400 young people per year by 2027.”

The Intercept program provides family intervention specialists who work with children and caregivers for four to six months, meeting three times weekly and providing 24-hour crisis support. They handle small caseloads and offer evidence-based interventions in all areas affecting the child, including family, school and community.

“We are excited to support Youth Villages’ efforts to expand Intercept in South Carolina,” said Tom Lawrence, president and CEO of the Leon Levine Foundation. “Youth Villages has a long track record of scaling evidence-based programs, and Intercept is a versatile and rigorously studied intervention that helps prevent children from entering the foster care system in the first place. Youth Villages now serves more than 700 youth per year via Intercept in North Carolina, and we are hopeful that the program, over time, can have a similarly lifechanging impact in South Carolina.”

Progress with children and families is measured through ongoing assessment and review. The comprehensive treatment approach includes advocating extensively to access community resources and linking to long-term, ongoing support.

In North Carolina, where Intercept has been supporting local youth for 20 years, 90% of families are satisfied with services, according to recent data. Further, one-year post discharge from the program:

• 88.1% reported living at home or independently
• 98% reported being in school, graduated or employed
• 93.5% reported no run-ins with law enforcement

Intercept can change a family’s trajectory with intensive support, a focus on building parenting and communication skills, and evidence-and strengths-based mental health intervention services. The goal is to keep families together, increasing the child’s chances for long-term success.

About the Leon Levine Foundation
Established in 1980 by Leon Levine, the founder of the first Family Dollar Store in Charlotte, N.C, The Leon Levine Foundation supports programs and organizations that improve the human condition through investments in education, healthcare, human services and Jewish values. Based in Charlotte, N.C., the Foundation invests in nonprofits across North Carolina and South Carolina with strong leadership, a track record of success, and a plan for financial sustainability. Through its investments, the Foundation intends to create pathways to self-sufficiency, champion strategies for permanent change, and facilitate opportunities for growth. To date, the Foundation has paid over $350M in grants in its history.

www.leonlevinefoundation.org

About Youth Villages
Youth Villages is a national leader in mental and behavioral health committed to finding the most effective solutions to help children, families and young adults overcome obstacles and live successfully. Working through direct services, partnerships with innovative public agencies and advocacy, we collaborate to bring positive change to child welfare, children’s mental health and justice systems. Our 4,500 employees serve more than 43,000 children and young adults in more than 100 locations in 27 states and the District of Columbia. Youth Villages has been recognized by the Harvard Business School and U.S. News & World Report and was identified by The White House as one of the nation’s most promising results-oriented nonprofit organizations. Learn more at youthvillages.org.

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