A successful transition to adulthood isn’t easy, even for the most well supported youth.  

Youth Villages is dedicated to helping those for whom the process is even more challenging: emotionally and behaviorally troubled children and their families who often are at a loss for what to do and where to turn.  

Youth Villages began serving families in Massachusetts in 2007. A few years later they opened YVLifeSet, an initiative focused on assisting young adults aging out of the Massachusetts foster care system. YVLifeSet’s highly trained specialists work 24/7 with their young clients, including face-to-face sessions at least once a week in community settings, at homes, at school or on the job – wherever is most convenient. Together, they tackle the highs and lows of growing up and ensure that the basics – stable and suitable housing, education, life skills – are covered.

Matt Stone, Executive Director of Youth Villages Massachusetts and New Hampshire, says the program has benefited from being located in a state that “gets it”. YVLifeSet in Massachusetts has set the standard for YVLifeSet programs elsewhere, becoming the first to rely on evidence-based research to refine its efforts and improve outcomes for those it serves.