Sacramento County Probation is excited to re-establish the Neighborhood Alternative Center (NAC) in our community. NAC will provide prevention and early intervention services to at risk youth, pre-juvenile justice involved youth as well as juvenile justice involved youth. This center provides necessary and vital services to youth and their families prior to their engagement with local law enforcement. The Probation Department is hopeful this center will not only build rapport and a bridge with our community, but it will also allow the stigma and barriers surrounding therapeutic intervention and services. By establishing these services, we will be able to reach more youth and families prior to any involvement with the Juvenile Justice system within our community.
The Sacramento County Probation Department will be working in conjunction with County partners such as Behavioral Health and the Department of Child, Family, and Adult Services, as well as community-based organizations who will be able to serve as credible messengers through lived experiences to our youth. The youth we hope to serve will include but not be limited to truancy involved, incorrigible, at-risk, exploited and gender expansive youth. The Neighborhood Alternative Center will provide crisis intervention services to youth and their families to help de-escalate situations with the assistance of our County partners. In addition to the immediate crisis intervention services, the Neighborhood Alternative Center will also provide prevention and early intervention services to our population. Additionally, the center will be able to assist with Respite services for youth who are in need of a short-term, safe and secure environment to stay. It is hoped by providing these services we will create a safe space for our youth to obtain the help and assistance they need, while reducing the number of youths who enter the Juvenile Justice system.
By establishing this center, the Sacramento County Probation Department will be able to provide these services to youth prior to involvement with the Juvenile Court system, this will offer an intervention to our youth prior to their incarceration in our Youth Detention Facility. The hope is this will have a direct impact on the youth and reduce this populations contact with local law enforcement, thus reducing their contact with the Juvenile Court system.
For more information, email nac@saccounty.gov.
