Causes: Children & Youth, Children & Youth Services

Mission: Youth Emergency Services & Shelter of Iowa (YESS) meets the critical needs of the community by providing a continuum of quality programs designed to keep children safe and families together.

Results: YESS operates an emergency shelter, crisis nursery and provides an array of counseling services for children, newborn through age 17, and their families. Emergency shelter for children is available at YESS 24-hours a day, 365 days a year. Any child or family may turn to YESS for assistance as YESS. Each year, there are more than 1,100 admissions into YESS’ emergency shelter and crisis nursery.

Programs: The emergency shelter program offers a safe place for runaway, abused, homeless and troubled youths, ages nine to seventeen, to stay when home is not an option. A crisis nursery, as a critical component of the emergency shelter program, offers short-term crisis and respite care for children ages birth through eight.

therapy services provides a wide array of counseling and therapy services from individual, group, and family counseling focusing services on child and family reunification whenever possible and appropriate to mental health therapy services for children and youth with serious emotional and/or mental health issues.

health home connects families and their children with a care team who will work to improve their mental, physical, and social needs. Working together, the focus is on the total health needs of children and their families, making them healthier, happier, and more whole.