At-Risk Youth In The North Metro Receive Help
By Edgar Linares, NewsRadio 830 WCCO
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A new center to help at-risk youth in the north metro opened Monday.
It's called the North Suburban Evening Reporting Center (ERC). It's located at the Edgewood Education Center on 6601 Xylon Avenue North in Brooklyn Park.
"The goal of the Evening Reporting Center is for juvenile probation to implement a proven intervention program," said Randy Bacon with Hennepin County Juvenile Probation. "It's for youth that are already on probation."
NewsRadio 830 WCCO's Edgar Linares Reports
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Bacon said the program keeps juveniles busy from 3 to 9 p.m. He said those are peak times when teens are most likely to become involved in criminal activity.
"We're keeping them busy. We're providing them with educational opportunities to catch up on their educational goals. They can even catch up on school credits," said Bacon.
The program is intended to help change delinquent behavior for youth ages 14 to 18.
The ERC will serve Brooklyn Park, Crystal, Golden Valley, New Hope, Osseo and Robbinsdale.
The center offers programs for anger management, homework assistance, conflict resolution, independent living, and employment and job-searching skills.
This is Hennepin County's second ERC. They're partnered with the Hennepin County Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative.
Hennepin County hopes this program will help prevent costly out-of-home placement of juveniles.
