The county’s funding for YCS comes from the federal government’s American Rescue Plan Act grants passed in 2021, according to Simitian. Initially $150,000 was approved by the Board of Supervisors in May of this year, but now the Board has agreed to increase the appropriation to $225,000 so that YCS can expand to more communities and run its program through June of next year.
“These are difficult times for young people and their parents,” said Simtian, who serves as chair of the county’s health and hospital committee. There is an enormous need for preventive mental health services for our youth; Fortunately, Youth Community Services has a unique model that provides services directly to children.”
The money is to go to Youth Connect, an after-school program founded in 2017 that connects high school students with peers and adults who can support them and provide workshops and volunteer projects to help young people “grow and thrive,” according to the organization.
YCS said Youth Connect “protects preteens and teens from the many risk factors that can harm their mental health.” The program helps youth learn how to build positive relationships, enhance social bonding and engage with the community.
The program was initiated in response to a suicide prevention report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which outlines findings related to youth suicide in recent years. With the pandemic affecting already isolated youth, mental illness cases have doubled during the pandemic, according to new CDC data.
“By pooling our resources with the city of Palo Alto and the county, we’ve been able to do so much more,” said Maura Ohmen, executive director of Youth Community Services. “We connected young people directly with peer leaders their age. Peer leaders hosted in-person workshops, implemented service projects, and produced educational videos that amplified youth voices.”
High school students are under increasing stress that can lead to drug use and suicide, Simitian’s office said, so the district is also collaborating with local schools to combat the rise in youth overdoses of fentanyl by getting Narcan — a lifesaving overdose — into the hands of parents and teachers.
Since 2015, the Santa Clara County Opioid Overdose Prevention Project has worked with community partners to help reduce opioid overdoses and deaths in the county. Over the past five years, the county has distributed more than 10,000 Narcan kits and has approved $135,000 to purchase 28 Narcan kits for every high school in the county that wants one.Superintendent Simitian and former Palo Alto Mayor Karen Holman were previous supporters of the program and helped secure funding from the county and city to get the program started.
As a former member of the Palo Alto School Board, Simitian says he knows how important these programs are for young people with mental health and substance abuse issues.
“We can’t expect kids to be resilient on their own,” Simtian said. “For a lot of them, the situation is difficult out there. However, there is help, and we need to let people know what programs and services are available to them.”