The R.E.F.U.G.E. Inc

The R.E.F.U.G.E. (Resource Environment for Underprivileged Groups Enterprise, Inc.,) was organized in 1998, with the mission to provide high quality treatment for foster clients and their families in Alameda County. We are a tax exempt - non-profit public benefit corporation - organized pursuant to regulations of the Internal Revenue Service and the State of California. The key values of our organization are: 1) cross-system collaboration, 2) homes with a tolerant and integrated milieu, 3) Adherence always, to the core principles of positive youth development: bonding, resilience, behavioral competence, pro-social norms, and belief in the future, and 4) Fair treatment and ample services provided to all groups. The vision of The REFUGE Short Term Residential Therapeutic Program (STRTP) is to serve youth ages 7-17, with severe emotional needs who cannot be in family-based care due to the acuity of their mental health needs. The REFUGE STRTP serves male, female, transgender, gay, and lesbian, bisexual, queer/questioning and gender expansive youth. The goal of REFUGE is to offer a trauma-informed, culturally relevant therapeutic environment that is conducive to meeting the complex needs of clients, allowing them to stabilize and return to family. The REFUGE STRTP serves ambulatory youth placed by child welfare, juvenile probation, and children’s behavioral health agencies. The REFUGE will staff qualified personnel capable of assisting clients with increasing their abilities in conflict resolution, emotional regulation, and skill development. The STRTP will provide clients training and support to stabilize and function in a small group treatment setting with goal of transitioning to family-based care as quickly as possible. We will provide a structured learning environment, emphasizing behavior management and alternatives to drug and alcohol use. Once successful in the treatment setting, clients will be able to transition into less restrictive family-based care.