Category: News || By Submitted Report

Auberle hopes that its new facility for girls and young women at risk of juvenile delinquency becomes a model for other programs around the country.

Dedicated Wednesday morning, the home is the result of a $900,000 renovation of the former rectory of St. Pius V Church on Versailles Avenue. The facility was created in response to what officials called a "steep rise" in the number of girls and young women being arrested and put into the juvenile justice system.

Some of the girls wind up getting into trouble with the law or at school after suffering physical and other abuse, Auberle officials said.

"This new facility houses two programs specifically created to address the unique issues facing girls," said John Lydon, chief executive officer of city-based Auberle. "Historically, girls do not have the services available to them that boys have, and they are often placed into programs designed for boys and so ultimately the girls fail."

Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, Bishop David A. Zubik of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County Councilman Bob Macey of West Mifflin and Allegheny County Judge Kim Clark joined Auberle officials in dedicating what they described as a "state-of-the-art" home for 24 young women.

The residents, who will live with continuous supervision and counseling from Auberle employees, will receive life and social-skills training, job development and career-planning help, and educational support through two Auberle programs --- Girls Adjusting to Treatment and Education, or "GATE," and The Bloom Program, which targets women ages 16 to 20.

An Auberle spokeswoman says the Bloom Program, which was launched this month, was created using research from the National Center for Juvenile Justice and was developed in response to a steep rise in female juvenile delinquency in the Pittsburgh area.

Auberle is working with Carlow University, Robert Morris University and the federally funded National Girls Institute, which is a partnership between the National Council on Crime and Delinquency and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

Auberle officials say the McKeesport program is the first of its kind in the United States, and that research done here will help inform other projects.

"The Bloom Program provides a missing step in the continuum of care for girls by bridging the gap between structured residential settings and independent living programs," Lydon said. "Girls now have a step to help them make the adjustment toward complete independence and self-sufficiency that includes education, career counseling and life skills."

The rectory became available after the 2010 closing of St. Pius V Church and its subsequent merger with St. Martin de Porres Church and St. Mary Czestochowa to form Corpus Christi Church.

The renovations were performed by Massaro Corp. Funding was provided by the FISA Foundation, the Mary Hillman Jennings Foundation, the Richard King Mellon Foundation and the Staunton Farm Foundation.

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Editor's Note: All images for this story were supplied by Annie Schultheis, development associate for Auberle. This article was written entirely from press releases.

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