Program History
Positive Growth, Inc. (PGI) was founded in 1994 by Joseph T. Arnold to provide consultation to residential treatment facilities in the metro Atlanta area. Realizing the high rate of delinquency and homelessness in Georgia, PGI decided to increase its service base by providing troubled and homeless child/adolescent males with a clean, safe and nurturing environment to call home.
This decision was fueled by a sincere passion to help children and youth succeed. Hence, in January 1996, the former Partridge Rest Home was purchased and the initial renovation was complete within a year. PGI was approved for operation from the Department of Human Resource and received its Child Care license in October of 1997 and opened its doors as a quality residential child care home to troubled and/or homeless males between the ages of six and twenty-one.
Between 1998 and 2004 we opened two additional cottage to serve young men between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one who were aging out of care in our Independent Living Program. Our services expanded to working with the entire family and individual adults in crisis who required more comprehensive support services.
In 2012, PGI initiated its Transitional Living Homeless Program for males ages 18-24 who have either aged out of foster-care system or experienced homelessness due to employment, education, financial, physical, mental and emotional restraints.
Our mental health services embraces a person-centered, family-focused and community –based model of integrated services that are culturally sensitive. These services will enable those involved to achieve their highest level of success.
Our services are driven by the needs and preferences of the child, youth, adult, and family, and address these needs through a strength-based approach. We are committed to providing these services in a manner that exceeds the expectations of our consumers, their families, and those who recommend our services to others. We provide Information and Referral Services to help consumers find the resources they need.
Positive Growth Inc. offers many services but if we don’t offer the exact service a client need, we can definitely help them find who does.
Why We Exist
Today’s youth are on the threshold of unprecedented risk. The future of our country depends upon the condition of our children and the quality and strength of their families. Many children in our country are deprived of strong families, quality care, support, life-skill training, and proper guidance.
Many children are constantly subjected to abuse, neglect, and abandonment. Our system of intervention must be strong and consistent to ensure a safe and productive future for these children.
Positive Growth, Inc. primary goal is to keep families safely at home together; in some instances this simply isn’t possible. Occasionally, for a period of time, a child/youth may benefit from out-of-home placement. When this need occurs, our focus is to create an individualized program to work with the child/youth and his family, with the goal of returning the child/youth home and/or to an approved home as quickly and safely as possible. As in all of our programs, we are committed to working with families as full partners, including them in developing goals and plans, while offering therapy and family-strengthening services.
The rate of child abuse, neglect and teen delinquency in Georgia has risen and the need for quality foster homes and/or residential child care homes for children and youth are at a demand. In early 1998, PGI expanded its services to better serve troubled and homeless males ages six to twenty-one through a structured, nurturing environment they could call home. This decision was fueled by a sincere passion to help our youth succeed.
Positive Growth residential out-of-home care program, a medium size campus; located in the heart of Clarkston, Georgia, just 15 minutes from downtown Atlanta. Potential children and youth are referred to us through our partnership with the Department of Family and Children Services (DFACS), Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) and Local Juvenile Court System. Most of our children and youth are from low and Moderate Income Families.
Who Do We Serve
We serve young men from diverse backgrounds. We work on behalf of minors who have child welfare status and who are unable to live at home, that have had multiple placements in other child-care facilities, first time placement, emergency placement, encountered trouble with the law or have been adjudicated for non-personal crimes, have been removed from their homes as a result of abuse, neglect, abandonment or are in need of supervision.
Youth accepted into the program may be experiencing education set-hacks, have strained relationships with their families, abuse drugs or alcohol, delinquency, refuse to seek help, are displaying out-of-control behavior, or are ADD/ADHD and experiencing at least moderate levels of emotional distress (e.g., depression, anxiety, oppositional behavior, compulsive behavior).
What Will We Do
We are dedicated to helping our children and youth reach their greatest potential. Our emphasis is on providing quality care and love. Our children and youth have an opportunity to experience a stable foundation on which to build a wholesome and healthy life.
The overall aim of Positive Growth’s residential out-of-home care program is safety, well-being, and reunification and to help youth become effective managers of their lives, prevent the escalation and continuation of delinquent behavior, and reduce recidivism.
Approach
Our approach is structured so that residents will come away from our program with the following abilities and skills:
The ability to make productive life choices based upon sound logic and acting, or reacting, in a way that is appropriate to the situation;
The ability to formulate long and short-term goals and the skills to develop a plan to achieve those goals;
The ability to foster healthy, productive relationships on all levels; be they with peers, authority figures, family members, etc.;
The ability to behave appropriately with regard to their age, social development and respect of the situations and environments wherein they currently or will potentially traverse.
Objective
Besides providing a safe, clean and nurturing environment, the objectives of Positive Growth Boys Home are to:
Enhance the general well-being and self-esteem of children and youth.
Encourage positive, responsible decision making.
Help youth access social supports and community resources
Assist youth and families in positive resolution of family conflicts.
Enhance social skills and life skills development.
Enhance youth’s school performance.
Referral & Admission Process
A professional intake team reviews all referrals to determine the appropriateness of placement at Positive Growth Boys Home. The review process is designed to identify youth who can be adequately serviced by our program and who meet the admissions criteria.
Positive Growth accepts residents between the ages of six to twenty-one, is a Georgia resident, or has consent from Georgia’s Department of Family and Children Services, Georgia’s Department of Juvenile Justice and Georgia Juvenile State Courts.
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