Epworth Children & Family Services

Street Outreach Services
Epworth's Street Outreach Services (SOS) is a comprehensive program that is designed to help transition homeless, street and at-risk youth off the streets and into safe and stable living situations. SOS accomplishes this by connecting youth to emergency shelter, providing food, clothing and other basic needs items in order to meet their immediate needs. SOS also works to prevent youth homelessness by providing information, referrals, emotional support, and the opportunity to receive ongoing services.

Youth Emergency Services
Epworth's Youth Emergency Services (YES) is a 12-bed, short-term, youth shelter, serving youth ages 11-21, and is designed to meet the needs of runaway and homeless youth, and youth in families experiencing crisis. (St. Louis County youth are funded through CSF until their 20th birthday.) Many youth who access YES are homeless, living on the streets, or coming from other shelters. The YES Shelter provides comprehensive services to youth including emergency shelter, food, clothing, individual, group and family therapy, case management, life skills training, and operates a 24-hour Helpline to serve youth and their families. In addition to these services, YES provides exit planning that focuses on transitioning to safe, stable housing; and follow up/after to ensure ongoing safety and stabilization. Participation in services is voluntary and designed to empower youth to take an active role in their futures and equip them with tools to become self-sufficient."

Transitional Living Program
Epworth's Transitional Living Program (TLP) meets the needs of homeless and runaway youth not only by providing housing, but also by stabilizing youth across other factors including education, employment, and life skills. TLP uses two methods to house youth: 1) structured living in an apartment building with 24/7 staffing, and 2) unstructured living in Epworth-leased apartments located throughout St. Louis County. TLP's support services are integral in the progression of youth toward self-sufficiency."

Family Support Network
Family Support Network (FSN) serves families at risk of child abuse and neglect by providing high quality, professional counseling services to St. Louis County residents. FSN provides weekly, home-based, cost-free family counseling by masters-level therapists for an average of 6-10 months, with services extending up to one year depending on the family's needs and progress. Therapists provide a combination of individual and family talk-therapy, play therapy when appropriate, and case management and advocacy services to ensure that families are equipped to access the supports available to them. In addition, families receive follow-up sessions at three and 12 months post-service in order to monitor progress, provide resource referrals, and offer “booster” support to families as they continue to implement the new skills and strategies they learned in the program."

Psychological Services
Epworth Psychological Services (EPS) provides a broad range of comprehensive psychological evaluations including trauma-focused evaluations, educational assessments, ADHD evaluations, assessments for Autism and other developmental disorders, risk assessments, mood disorders and behavioral concerns, personality functioning, and other mental health assessments. Psychological evaluations involve a comprehensive analysis of overall functioning and a holistic view of presenting concerns. These evaluations lead to diagnostic clarification, referrals to evidenced-based treatments, detailed recommendations for parents and schools, and families gaining knowledge about mental health and how to address individualized needs."