360 Youth Services’ mission is to provide life-changing services to youth through substance use prevention education, counseling and housing. Their vision is a community where all youth possess the necessary skills to successfully navigate life’s challenges. 360 Youth Services seeks to provide services which are affirming, authentic, compassionate, empowering, inclusive, and respectful.
Through highly recognized programs and initiatives – The Power of Choice, Youth Prevention Education, Naperville Operation Snowball, Positive Choices Positive Voices, Community Alliance for Prevention – 360 provides a variety of proven prevention strategies to best serve the community and reduce youth substance use. They are dedicated to helping youth make healthy choices.
Trained therapists also provide a variety of professional counseling services for school-aged youth and families, as well as young adults. In addition, educational groups for youth of all ages and their parents are offered. Some issues addressed include depression, anxiety, grief, family conflict, life transitions, self-esteem and parenting.
360 Youth Services is also proud to offer housing to youth experiencing homelessness. Through their Emergency Youth Shelter, Transitional and Rapid Rehousing Programs, and Cornerstone Group Home, they serve young people ages 13-24 and work side by side with young people to ultimately transition to independence. Their programs use Housing First practices and the lens of harm reduction, trauma-informed care. They also affirm BIPOC and LGBTQ+ individuals and utilize positive youth development to help young people access housing, support services and skills needed to break the cycle of homelessness.
360 Youth Services operates under the organizational umbrella of Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois. LCFS is a statewide child welfare agency providing programs such as foster care, adoption, counseling and preventative services. They are one of the largest providers of services to adolescents in Illinois’ child welfare system, but also have a very strong commitment to preventative services in order to help keep children and families out of the system. Both organizations are committed to working together to strengthen and grow youth and family-centered services to the Naperville, Aurora and surrounding communities.
To learn more about 360 Youth Services and LCFS, visit 360youthservices.org and LCFS.org.
Spotlight Guests
Scot Thurman, 360 Executive Director Guest
Mike Bertrand, LCFS President & CEO
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