YOUTH EMERGENCY SERVICES & SHELTER OF IOWA

The YESS Integrated Care Connections (ICC) program supports children experiencing mental health challenges by focusing on the needs of the family as a whole. ICC brings together mental, physical, and social health services into one integrated program so families can receive the best care possible for their child. Each family in the YESS ICC program is connected with a three-person team to receive flexible support and services focused on their strengths, needs, and comfort level. These teams include a Nurse, Care Coordinator, and Family Peer Support Specialist, who work in partnership with families to determine the best path to success.

The Blumenthal Crisis Nursery cares for the youngest children when their lives are turned upside down. As Iowa’s only site-based, 24-hour emergency shelter for newborns, toddlers, and young children, YESS provides a nurturing, supportive environment and a temporary haven from the trouble and uncertainty in their lives. Children in the crisis nursery receive specialized services to meet their unique developmental needs. Infants and small children arrive at the Crisis Nursery for a variety of reasons. Some have been removed from their parent’s care due to unsafe living conditions (such as drugs in the home). Other little ones stay at YESS when a caregiver is hospitalized, incarcerated, or other crisis situations prevent a guardian from caring for their children.

Through our ACCESS line, the caring staff at YESS are available 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week to assess difficult family situations, create a plan, and work toward solutions while ensuring everyone is safe.
Whether families are in need of immediate crisis intervention or just want to learn more about our services, the Access Center can help by providing face-to-face crisis counseling, safety and risk screenings, crisis planning, assessment for emergency placement, and resources and information.

Behavioral Health Intervention Services (BHIS) is a home-based skill building program that helps children and teens learn to make healthy and positive choices. BHIS providers help kids learn developmentally appropriate ways to manage their behaviors. This is done through educational skill development and maintenance associated with mental health and behavioral concerns such as anger management, relational and communication skills, coping skills, problem solving, healthy emotional expression, decision making, building self-esteem and confidence, making and maintaining positive relationships.
By bringing the entire family together for BHIS services, clients improve their communication, manage unhealthy behaviors, and build stronger relationships.

Our therapists work with children, teens, individuals, and families every day to build skills, improve quality of life, begin the process of healing, and achieve successes that once seemed out of reach. Efforts include individual counseling, family and group counseling, expressive arts therapy, assessments, and specialized therapeutic support (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)).

YESS' Hope Hall Respite program provides a nurturing, secure, and supportive environment for children (newborn through age 17) who need a short term place to stay. We offer up to 72 hours of care during a crisis situation or when parents need time to plan and connect with resources to ensure children stay safe in their own homes. Children and Families who turn to Hope Hall Respite receive specialized services to meet their needs, including mental health assessments, developmentally appropriate activities, and case management. YESS is one of the few emergency shelters that also provides respite services. When these family crises arise, YESS provides the nurturing environment that young children need.