Children's Legacy Center Part 3: Children’s Legacy Center Suspended Group Home After Violence
Written by Chriss W. Street
Children’s Legacy Center Suspended Group Home After Violence
Children's Legacy Center tried to set up group homes to import hundreds of the most severely emotionally disabled (SED) youth from 25 rural counties to Shasta County. The first group home was opened in March of 2023, but was quickly suspended at big losses after extreme violence against staff.
California Department of Social Services under Agreement 22-3074, gave Children’s Legacy Center $7 million to connect children experiencing commercial sexual exploitation in “25 rural & frontier counties to “solutions” The “deliverables” included opening dozens of 6-bed Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Program (STRTP) group homes to treat and educate without restraints the highest tier of severely emotionally disabled (SED) youth, rated at SED level 13-14.
Sources told the Mountain Top Times that
California counties regularly pay $40,000
and $60,000 per month to export hundreds
of “specialty placement” SED levels 13-14
youth to out-of-county STRTPs.
Children’s Legacy Center expected based
on demand to make $90,000 a month per
STRTP by contracting with 25 counties to
offer beds at $15,000 per month bulk rate.
Each STRTP was expected to make over $1 million per year, and two dozen would make over $25 million per year. Children’s Legacy Center expected to also make thousands of dollars more on each SED level 13-14 youth by providing medication management and school-based “Wraparound” services.
But the plan ran into stiff opposition by the Shasta County Health and Human Services staff that refused to sign a contract to join 25 county “collaborative”, because Children’s Legacy Center had no history or systems to manage risks.
County staff were fully aware of the closing of 10 Victor Treatment Center 6- bed group homes in December 2019. Despite providing 90 staff, the 60 specialty placement youth residents were involved in committing four violent attacks on Victor staff and local neighbors over a three month period. The attacks according to the Redding Searchlight included: “17-year-old resident at the Victor group home on Tia Mia Lane in Palo Cedro was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and assault with intent to commit rape after a semi-nude employee was found unconscious outside the home on Oct. 4. Despite aggressive lobbying from powerful local interests to sign a Children’s Legacy Center contract, County staff advised Supervisors that SED level 13-14 STRTP operations are highly regulated, and sexually exploited youth typically have longstanding emotional and behavioral problems including substance use, runaways, drug dealing, fire setting, violent assaults, and gang activity.
CEO Kimberly Johnson blamed the failure to get a Shasta County contract on:
“The opposition from certain members of the local Board of Supervisors and their supporters has created significant concerns for our leadership and CLC Board of Directors. We have experienced false allegations of illegal activity made to federal agencies, unwarranted, inaccurate and inflammatory scrutiny, reports of pending media attacks with conspiratorial messaging, and disruptive behavior from politically affiliated groups at our locations with clients onsite. These incidents have attempted to undermine our credibility and caused concern for the safety of our staff and clients.”
Refusing local advice, Children’s Legacy Center hired staff and refurbished a house. Management now concedes: “The rigorous licensing process was extensive, reflecting the gravity of caring for youth with complex needs.” After two years, the STRTP was licensed in Oct. 2023 and opened March 1, 2024.
Children’s Legacy Center in February 2024 refers to these challenges as a learning curve that the STRTP cost over $1 million to open, that it was running $90,000 per month negative cash flow, and that they estimated “an all-in investment of $1.5 million before the program can break even.”
STRTP opened March 1, 2024 with three youth residents, and was suspended in two months due to resident violence that included a staff member choke out.
The Mountain Top Times intends to continue a series of reports on the Children’s Legacy Center. The Children’s Legacy Center has not filed an IRS Not for Profit Form 990 to disclose financials for the year ending 2023. The Mountain Top Times will continue to ask for input prior to publishing from: Children’s Legacy Center CEO Kimberly Johnson; and Children’s Legacy Center Treasurer Erin Resner.
OK, I need to read parts 1 and 2 but initial reaction from 3 is the obvious one; that treating severely emotionally traumatized kids is incredibly difficult. CLC's board of directors has Shasta county's sheriff, district attorney, and superintendent of education, https://www.childrenslegacycenter.org/our-team and they somehow lacked the depth of experience necessary to persuade Shasta county's Health Dept. to sign a contract - or was it common sense about importing kids from all over the state? And the state government gave CLC $7 million dollars, $1 million was invested, and it needed another $500K, and it was running a $90,000 monthly deficit? That's a good runway to get going. And they haven't made financial filings for 2023? OK - I'll read 1 & 2 - there is the hint of scandal and corruption involving powerful people. Keep up the good work!