Boys and Girls Clubs of San Antonio have long served vulnerable youth after school and during the summer months, but one area of care has been lacking.
This missing piece of the puzzle has become more prominent in recent years as young people struggle in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and multiple school shootings.
Now, thanks to an $840,000 grant from the Baptist Health Foundation, mental health care will be among the club’s offerings this summer.
“Our overriding goal is for our children to finish high school on time with a clear and concise plan for their future, whether in higher education or career. [or] Ada Senz, CEO of Boys and Girls Clubs of San Antonio, said:
“Having mental health issues makes it really hard to think about the past, let alone, ‘What are you going to do when you graduate?'” Saenz says. “So this is an important piece in terms of overcoming the trauma they’re going through in their lives.”
The new Resiliency Restored program will be launched as a three-year pilot. The club employs two licensed professional counselors and one clinical director. We will serve an estimated 800 children this year and at least 1,000 children over the next two years.
Saenz said staff need to find affordable and accessible therapists for children outside, which is very difficult.
Children aged 6 to 18 who attend Boys and Girls Clubss Activities already have transportation to six clubhouses and 19 on-campus after-school facilities throughout San Antonio. They can be referred to an in-house therapist by club staff, school administrators, parents, or the children themselves.
The program offers large and small group sessions, one-on-one sessions, and family therapy, Saenz said.
She expects demand for the treatment to be high because staff already have rapport with children, mostly from low-income families.
“Throughout the relationships they developed, many times [kids] Feel free to confide in what’s going on in their lives,” she said. Most staff are not trained to deal with mild or severe mental illness, but by this summer there will be colleagues who have.
Many children, coming from single-parent or grandparent homes, struggle to prioritize food and housing, she said. It can become cliche…especially mental health, tutoring, etc.”
Annual dues at the local club are $100 per child per school year, with scholarships available for those who can’t afford it.
“I would never separate a child just because the family can’t afford it,” she said.
Saenz has already begun seeking funding to sustain the program beyond the three-year pilot period and has pending applications for federal pandemic relief funding through both the city and Bexar County.
San Antonio and Bexar counties have received hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. Relief Plans Act funding, and mental health is a focus of both.The city has allocated at least $26 million for mental health and $10 million for youth programs. While spending dollars, the county is contributing approximately $35 million to strengthen mental health care in schools, prisons, and county residents generally.
