The Basic Center Program provides short-term, intensive support for youth ages 11–17 experiencing family conflict, housing instability, or risk of homelessness. Our goal is to help youth achieve safety and stability while strengthening relationships with parents, caregivers, and other natural supports so they can remain safely at home—or return home whenever possible.

Services are provided throughout Cuyahoga County and are tailored to each youth’s needs. Support may take place in the home, school, shelter, or other community settings.

Helping Youth Find Stability

Belllefaire's Basic Center program combines clinical support, family engagement, and practical assistance to address the factors contributing to a youth’s crisis.

Individual Therapy
Youth work one-on-one with a licensed clinician to address emotional and behavioral needs, develop coping strategies, and identify goals for stability.

Case Management
Youth receive at least one hour of case management each week focused on stabilization, goal-setting, resource connection, and coordination of services.

Family Mediation
When clinically appropriate, family mediation helps address conflict, improve communication, rebuild trust, and strengthen relationships between youth and their natural supports.

Emergency Shelter
When remaining at home is not immediately safe or possible, Bellefaire's Basic Center can provide access to emergency shelter for up to 21 days in a safe, supervised setting. Youth participate in structured routines and follow guidelines that support safety, accountability, and well-being.

Who We Serve

Bellefaire's Basic Center serves youth who:

• Are ages 11–17
• Are at risk of homelessness or currently experiencing homelessness
• Are experiencing significant conflict or discord with parents, caregivers, or other natural supports
• May be of any gender

Our Approach

Bellefaire uses a trauma-informed, strengths-based approach that recognizes each young person’s experiences, strengths, and support systems. Rather than focusing only on the immediate crisis, our team works with youth and families to develop sustainable solutions that promote safety, stability, and long-term well-being.

Whenever possible, our goal is to prevent homelessness and reduce the need for out-of-home placement by helping families and youth build the skills and relationships needed to move forward together.

  24/7 Youth In Crisis Hotline: 216.570.8010  

Bellefaire JCB’s Street Outreach Program provides compassionate, practical support to youth ages 11–21 who are experiencing homelessness, running away, or living on the streets. Our team meets youth where they are—in the community, at school, at home, or on the streets—to help them find safety, meet immediate needs, and connect with resources that can lead to greater stability.

Our trauma-responsive, evidence-informed approach begins with building trust. We provide brief, individualized interventions while helping youth connect with longer-term programs and supports that promote safety, resilience, and independence.

Immediate Support. Trusted Connections.

Street Outreach helps youth address immediate needs while creating connections that can support longer-term stability.

Safety & Crisis Support
Staff provide crisis response, safety planning, and support to youth experiencing homelessness, running away, or other difficult circumstances.

Basic Needs
Youth can receive essential items such as snacks, hygiene supplies, clothing, and other resources based on their individual needs.

Resource Navigation
Staff help youth connect with housing, behavioral health, education, employment, and other community resources.

Building Support Systems
When appropriate, staff engage parents, caregivers, and other natural supports to strengthen relationships and create a network of care around the young person.

The Street Outreach Van

The Street Outreach van brings support directly into the community. Its highly visible design helps youth recognize the van as a safe and trusted place to approach for help.

Staff on the van are trained in crisis response and can provide immediate support, basic necessities, and connections to services. The team carries supplies such as snacks, hygiene products, and other essentials to help meet the immediate needs of youth experiencing housing instability.

Most importantly, the van creates an accessible point of connection for young people who may not know where else to turn.

“Bellefaire helps me with everything. I have a full and better understanding of myself and my strengths. They also helped me with housing, getting a pair of boots when I didn’t have any, and [they’re] very easy to work with. They will get you through a lot and make sure you good and straight no matter what. You can talk to them about things that may be hard to open up to anybody else about.”   — Youth served by the Street Outreach Program

Safe Place

Bellefaire JCB is part of Cleveland’s Safe Place network, a community-wide partnership that gives youth in crisis a safe and accessible way to connect with professional support.

The local Safe Place network brings together Bellefaire JCB’s Homeless and Missing Youth Program, Cleveland Public Library, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA), and Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry’s Next Step/Westhaven program.

How Safe Place Works

A young person who feels unsafe, is experiencing a crisis, or needs help can enter a designated Safe Place location and ask for assistance. In Cleveland, youth can also board any Greater Cleveland RTA bus or rapid train and tell the driver they need help.

RTA drivers receive specialized Safe Place training and follow established protocols to quickly connect youth with the appropriate local youth-serving agency based on their location. Bellefaire JCB or Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry then works with the young person to assess their immediate needs and identify safe next steps.

Safe Place creates visible, trusted access points for young people who may not know where to turn. The program helps remove barriers to support by making it possible for youth to ask for help where they are without judgment and without needing to know which agency to call.

Safe Place locations are identified by the recognizable yellow and black Safe Place sign and can be found throughout the community, including on RTA vehicles and at trusted locations such as schools and libraries. Learn more about National Safe Place.

  24/7 Youth In Crisis Hotline: 216.570.8010   

Bellefaire JCB’s Independent Living Program (ILP) helps youth ages 16–20 develop the practical skills, confidence, and stability needed to transition to greater independence and become productive members of their communities.

ILP serves youth and young adults who remain in county children’s services custody or who are on probation or parole following release from an Ohio Department of Youth Services facility. Participants remain in the program until they are emancipated from county custody and/or released from probation or parole.

Participants live in their own apartments throughout Cuyahoga County, providing an opportunity to practice independent living while receiving individualized support from Bellefaire JCB staff.

Independent Housing
Participants live in their own fully furnished apartments throughout Cuyahoga County, with rent covered by Bellefaire JCB for the duration of the program.

Education & Employment
Youth who have not earned a high school diploma or GED receive support to enroll in and attend school. Participants also work toward obtaining and maintaining employment.

Financial Independence
Participants receive a weekly stipend and bus pass while learning to manage money, pay bills, budget for daily expenses, and build savings for life after the program.

Life Skills & Daily Responsibilities
Through individualized support and hands-on experience, participants develop practical skills for managing a home, meeting responsibilities, making decisions, and navigating the community.

Mental Health & Personal Growth
Individual therapy and case management help participants address emotional and behavioral health needs, strengthen resilience, and work toward their personal goals.

Individualized Support

Each participant receives:

• One hour of individual therapy each week
• Weekly group programming
• Support with education, employment, transportation, finances, and community resources
• Guidance in establishing a personal savings account for life after ILP

Each participant progresses through a four-phase individualized curriculum designed to build independence over time. The level of case management support gradually decreases as participants develop skills and demonstrate greater confidence managing their responsibilities.

Practicing Independence

Independent Living  provides young people with increasing responsibility while maintaining the structure and support needed for success. Participants are expected to:

• Attend school when they have not yet earned a diploma or GED
• Obtain and maintain employment
• Follow apartment and community safety guidelines
• Maintain regular communication with ILP staff
• Maintain a safe and responsible living environment
• Remain free from alcohol and substances in their apartment

Program expectations are designed to help participants practice the responsibilities of independent living in a supportive environment.

Preparing for Life After Independent Living

The goal of Bellefaire's Independent Living Program is not simply to provide housing, it is to help young people learn how to sustain independence.

Throughout the program, participants have the opportunity to practice managing a home, finances, education, employment, relationships, and personal well-being while building the confidence and support network they need for their next chapter.

Universal Referral Form

Bellefaire JCB’s Transitional Living Program (TLP) is a 12-month program for youth ages 16–21 who are preparing to live independently. TLP combines supportive housing with individualized counseling, case management, group programming, and hands-on life-skills development to help young people build the confidence and practical skills needed to become self-sufficient members of the community.

Learning to Live Independently

Participants live in their own apartments throughout Cuyahoga County, giving them the opportunity to practice independent living while receiving support from Bellefaire JCB staff.

Supported Housing
Participants live in their own apartments, with rent and household bills initially covered by Bellefaire JCB.

Building Financial Responsibility
A gradual financial responsibility plan helps participants learn to manage housing expenses and other bills. Over the course of the program, participants assume an increasing share of their financial responsibilities, working toward paying their expenses independently by discharge.

Daily Living & Life Skills
Staff provide individualized guidance and skill building to help participants manage household responsibilities, finances, transportation, and other demands of independent living.

Education, Employment & Community Life
Participants receive support in developing the skills and connections needed to pursue education, employment, and meaningful participation in their communities.

Individualized Support

Participants receive:

• Individualized counseling
• Case management
• Group programming
• A weekly stipend
• A bus pass
• Ongoing guidance with budgeting, bills, and household responsibilities

Preparing for Self-Sufficiency

TLP provides a gradual bridge between supported living and full independence. By increasing responsibility over time, participants have the opportunity to practice managing the responsibilities of adulthood while knowing support is available when they need it.

Universal Referral Form

Bellefaire JCB's Community Independence Treatment (CIT) program helps youth and young adults ages 16–25 build the skills, confidence, and support they need to move toward greater independence and thrive in their communities.

Through individualized counseling, case management, and group programming, CIT works with each participant to identify personal goals and develop practical skills for navigating adulthood, education, employment, relationships, and mental health.

Preparing for Independence

Upon admission, each participant meets with a clinician for an assessment and development of an individualized treatment plan. Based on their goals and needs, the plan may include individual therapy and case management. Participants must have active Medicaid coverage and commit to receiving at least one hour of services per week.

Through individualized treatment and skill-building, CIT helps young adults develop the practical, emotional, and interpersonal skills needed to become more self-sufficient and navigate adulthood successfully. Areas of focus may include:

• Personal safety, health, and nutrition
• Job readiness and workplace skills
• Financial literacy, budgeting, and income tax preparation
• Communication and social skills
• Emotional regulation and coping strategies
• Healthy relationships and boundaries
• Problem-solving and decision-making

These skills are designed to help participants build confidence, strengthen self-sufficiency, and successfully manage the everyday responsibilities of adult life.

Individualized Support

Each participant receives services tailored to their unique goals, strengths, and needs. CIT serves young adults with a range of behavioral health and developmental needs, including anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, and mild intellectual or developmental disabilities. Our trauma-responsive team meets each participant where they are, builds on their strengths, and provides the individualized support they need to navigate the transition to adulthood. Bellefaire employees Certified Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) clinicians to provide community-based services.

The Goal: Greater Independence

CIT is designed to help participants move beyond simply managing day-to-day challenges—to develop the skills, confidence, and support networks needed to pursue their goals and build meaningful, independent lives in the community.

“At the beginning of this year, I had a lot of inner struggles and was unable to identify and work through them in a healthy manner, but the past year Bellefaire's staff has taught me a lot about identifying and regulating my emotions and being able to figure out the deeper problems. Helping give me skills to be able to push through life's cruelties and hard endeavors. I'm a much different and better person that I was at the beginning, and this program helped my growth so much.”

Universal Referral Form

Bellefaire JCB’s Coordinated Navigation Program provides specialized, trauma-informed support to young people ages 13–25 in Cuyahoga County who have experienced or are at risk of human trafficking, including both sex and labor trafficking.

Each participant receives individualized support from a Coordinated Navigator and Peer Support Specialist who work alongside the young person to address immediate needs, navigate complex systems, connect with resources, and build the skills and support networks needed to move forward.

Individualized Support & Advocacy

Services are tailored to each participant’s experiences, needs, and goals and may include:

• Crisis intervention
• Individualized case management and service navigation
• Trauma-informed therapy
• Peer support
• Connection to housing, health, behavioral health, and other community resources
• Empowerment and skill-building strategies

Building Skills & Reducing Vulnerability

The program helps young people strengthen their ability to navigate systems, make informed decisions, access supportive resources, and build healthy connections. By combining professional guidance with the lived experience of peer support, the Coordinated Navigation Program helps participants build greater independence and reduce vulnerability to further exploitation.

Referrals