What is the Villages?

The Villages was founded in 1964 by Dr. Karl Menninger and the first group home opened it's doors in 1969. The homes provide stable, emotionally supportive homes for children and youth in need and provide those homes in a family-style setting rather than an institution or orphanage. The Villages provides young people with the same opportunities every child deserves.

What services does the Villages provide?

Group Homes, Nature Center

Who are the children The Villages serves?

The Villages serves children - mostly teenagers - in need of a home that provides extra structure and support. For demographic information, visit our Facts/Statistics page.

What are the group homes like?

The Villages group homes look and feel like any other home, just bigger with more bedrooms to accommodate the 10 to 12 youth living there. The homes offer structure, love and consistency. Kids in the homes get educational tutoring and participate in extracurricular activities just like other kids.

What kinds of activities do kids at The Villages get to do?

Normal activities such as music lessons, team sports, biking, skating, debate, dance lessons, nature club, arts, driving, and dating. The team made up of The Villages staff and the youth's case manager from the agency which has placed him/her at The Villages and sometimes including their parents make decisions about the level of freedom and responsibility offered to each youth.

How funds are allocated at The Villages?

Everything is focused on providing a normal, family life and home for our teenagers where they can heal and grow. Less than 6 percent of our budget goes to administrative costs. Fees for service cover only 85 percent of our actual budget. Private donations make up the difference and pay for "extras" for our children like activities, clothing, birthday/holiday gifts, senior pictures.

How long do kids stay at the Villages?

Because of changes in the child welfare system, the average length of time most youth stay has decreased--the average stay in 2008 was 190 days. However, there are children who have "grown up" at the Villages and have been with us for 2, 3, or more years.

Where do most children go when they leave the Villages?

It varies for each child, but on average, about 40-50 percent return home to their families or to live with another relative, 10 percent go to another foster care placement or to an adoptive family, 2 percent go to independent living and the rest go to other types of placements.