Gov. Brad Little, community leaders celebrate completion of new center for at-risk youth in Pocatello
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POCATELLO — Community members and leaders all gathered to celebrate the opening of a new safe teen assessment center at 345 North 5th Avenue in Pocatello Tuesday morning.
Gov. Brad Little and other dignitaries attended the ribbon-cutting for The Village, which provides early intervention services for youth at risk of entering the juvenile justice system and child welfare program.
During the event, Little praised the efforts of those involved in bringing the center to the community.
“You’ve done the right thing. You put all the people together and this community should be very proud of what you do,” Little said. “This is going to change kid’s lives, it’s going to change (community member’s) lives, it’s going to change family’s lives, so congratulations.”
Kids between 6 and 17 who live within the 6th Judicial District can seek assistance from The Village. The 6th Judicial District comprises Bannock, Bear Lake, Caribou, Franklin, Oneida and Power counties, as well as the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes.
The center also provides support for families to help direct them to services that will best meet their needs.
“State, county and community support here has shown a commitment to providing timely services with dignity and respect to the cornerstone of our community, which is the families and youth we serve,” Todd Mauger, Bannock County Chief Juvenile Probation Officer, tells EastIdahoNews.com.
Mauger says there is a great need for this facility because Idaho is experiencing a behavioral health crisis, with significant amounts of anxiety and depression among youth.
Though the center has been in the works for the last 19 years, the judicial district never knew how to pull it together. There were “quite a few challenges” along the way, including cost. It started moving forward in November 2021 when a grant became available.
Finding a location and getting it built relatively quickly was another challenge.
The building, which once housed a car dealership, was appealing to everyone involved. After more than a year of renovations, Bannock County Commissioner Ernie Moser told those in attendance it’s undergone quite a transformation.
“I want you to look at (the building) now as you go through on this tour and realize the transformation that has happened in this building. That is what is going to happen in our district with the youth,” Moser said.
Mauger says the challenges and the “above and beyond” efforts of everyone involved were worth it to make this project a reality.
“I feel like those challenges were a blessing,” Mauger said. “The building we have is going to serve our community and our district.”
During the event, Monty Prow, the director of the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections, referenced a poem that he says demonstrates the importance of the prevention services The Village provides.
“It’s much better to build a big fence, a wide fence, a tall fence, a fence without gaps or holes to prevent a fall from the cliff, than it is to invest in an ambulance at the bottom,” Prow said.