Youth facility will stay open

Mat-Su Youth Facility officials can breathe a sigh of relief now that the facility has been spared in legislative budget cuts.

The Legislature passed a budget that cuts $200,000 from the state's Division of Juvenile Justice, which is quite a bit less than the $986,700 in cuts proposed in March.

Superintendent Ray Michaelson said the Mat-Su Youth Facility will help bear the $200,000 in cuts, but will not have to lay off staff or shorten operating hours. Division of Juvenile Justice agencies throughout the state will be looking at how they can adjust their budgets so the cuts are absorbed statewide.

"We'll be working hard to make sure the cuts do not impact services to kids throughout the state," Michaelson said.

In March, the Mat-Su facility was told it could be shut down as an overnight detention center after DJJ was asked to cut its budget by nearly $1 million.

Under that proposal some services would have continued to be available, though about 13 staff members would have been laid off, said Bob Fedoroff at the time. Fedoroff is superintendent at McLaughlin Youth Facilities and oversees the Mat-Su detention center.

It costs $1,115,500 to run the Mat-Su Youth Facility, which made it a likely source for downsizing. The rationale was that its proximity to Anchorage makes it less crucial as a youth holding center than a similar facility at Nome, for example, Fedoroff said.

The youth facility is a 24-hour holding center for juveniles in trouble with the law. They remain there until the court takes action, which might mean release or a long-term program. It holds up to 15 teens at a time who stay an average of 35 days, Michaelson said.

The Mat-Su center, which served more than 200 youth between the ages of 12 and 17 last year, was opened in October 2000 after the need to house juvenile offenders in the Valley was apparent.

"DJJ has to get at the root causes of juvenile behavior and offer support they need to follow," Michaelson said. "These young people are well worth the investment."

Closing the facility would have meant costly police transportation to incarcerate errant youth at McLaughlin Youth Center in Anchorage, which is often at its maximum capacity -- and far from their homes.

"There has been a lot of community support for that facility," Fedoroff said. "When kids are detained here [at McLaughlin] rather than at Mat-Su, it makes it more difficult to retain ties to their community and their parents.

Visiting becomes difficult. Drug and alcohol treatment is one example of what they are able to receive right there, and by having those services provided by community agencies, it makes for a better transition back into the community."

Michaelson said he credits community support for keeping the youth center off the chopping block.

"Our [Mat-Su Youth Facility] citizen's advisory board embarked on a very strong campaign in the Valley," Michaelson said. "People called us up and asked how they could help."

The advisory board was joined by other groups showing support through petitions and letters, such as the Alaska Peace Officers Association, the Community Justice Coalition, Wasilla and Palmer Chambers of Commerce, Mat-Su School Principals Association and the Mat-Su Disciplinary Team.