Many Rivers in Trouble

Today I came across this new acticle on the KROC news site.
If this comes to pass it is a sad, sad news story because a group of these young men attend Journey almost every weekend and have become apart of our church family the best that their situation allows.

Read article:
07/16/2008 - LOCAL JUVENILE OFFENDER TREATMENT CENTER CLOSING
Andy Brownell KROC-AM NEWS
Budgetary pressures are being blamed for the expected demise of the Many Rivers Residential Treatment Center in Rochester. Olmsted County Community Services Director Paul Fleissner says the County Board will be presented next week with a recommendation to close the facility this fall. Fleissner says the treatment center, which is separate from the 12-bed Many Rivers Juvenile Detention Center, has run significant deficits since it opened in 1997 and will likely require a transfer of about $175,000 from reserve funds this year to cover the cost of providing sex offender and other treatment programs to juvenile offenders. It's estimated that sending those offenders to other treatment facilities in Minnesota would cut the county's costs by over 30-percent. Fleissner also notes that about half of the offenders housed in the 24-bed center are usually from other counties, which means Olmsted County taxpayers end up subsidizing their treatment. Closing the facility is expected to result in the loss of 20 regular and 15 on-call positions. In addition, the Rochester School District's Campus School, which serves the juvenile offenders at the treatment center, will close when the county discontinues the program November 1st.

I fully understand that such a program may seem to be too much, or not worth the investment... but these young men that have come through our church doors really need a place like Many Rivers. Society has hurt them, they aren't equippeed to handle the battles of life on their own at this time. Some of have been hurt and rejected by their families for what they have done. Shipping them off to another place, not as focused on sexual matters is not right. These young people need special focused help.... not a general criminla program.

We have meet these young men, meet their oversees and have seen them open up, interact properly and even worship God. Each week that I see these kids, we talk , laugh, give high fives and they tell me they want to attend Journey each week because they are getting something they never understood before. Yes it's a high price to put out... but we're seeing God things happen. Let's be praying for Olmsted County and the staff and offenders learning at Many Rivers. May God make away and let them continue to learn, grow and change.