DPSS Annual Report 24_25 FLIP v16_compressed

Harmony Haven Children and Youth Center

Harmony Haven Children and Youth Center Marks First Full Year of State Licensure With Hope, Healing and Growth

The 120-acre property where the 48-bed Harmony Haven Children and Youth Center is located is expected to grow into a vibrant hub of behavioral health and other resources that serve children and families throughout Riverside County.

Harmony Haven Children and Youth Center was officially licensed by the state in March 2024 as Riverside Coun ty’s only 72-hour transitional shelter care facility for children and teens ages 0 to 17. Throughout Fiscal Year 2024/25, the center offered trauma informed care to more than a thousand young people fac ing crises and disruptions in their foster placements. Many youth arrive carrying deep trauma from years of abuse, neglect and bro ken trust, said Regional Manager Emilee Tran with Children’s Services Youth and Community Resources (YCR) Region. It is not unusual for foster youth with men tal health diagnoses to refuse prescribed psychotropic medications, which can worsen symptoms and make it more dif ficult for them to safely remain in a foster family setting. Youth with complex-care needs may also run away, use substances or be targeted by groomers and perpetrators of commercial sexual exploitation. Tran estimates that at least 15 percent of

teens in the YCR Region, including those who transition through Harmony Haven, have been victimized or are currently being victimized by commercial sexual exploitation and related dangers. While Harmony Haven youth represent just a small fraction of the county’s 3,700 chil dren in foster care, they are among the hardest to place. Their needs shift quick ly, and their healing depends on urgency, flexibility and relational care that meets them where they are. Multidisciplinary teams from child wel fare, behavioral health, probation, edu cation, the County Executive Office and other partners are coordinating wrap around services for Harmony Haven’s highest needs youth. The goal is to en sure interventions are accessible, imme diate and effective at stabilizing a young person in crisis and supporting long term healing. Onsite programs continue to strengthen engagement. Friday Night Live, a youth adult partnership sponsored by RUHS Behavioral Health, remains a corner

stone for substance use prevention and positive connection. A behavioral health initiative is expanding onsite counsel ing, guidance and individualized therapy. Staff are receiving specialized training in best practices and de-escalation to maintain a safe residential environment while long term placements are identi fied. Recreational activities, including arts and crafts, are giving youth new av enues for expression. In May 2025, Riverside University Health System Behavioral Health announced that it had secured a $149.7 million state grant to build the Harmony Haven Chil dren and Youth Wellness Center adja cent to the shelter care facility. The proj ect is expected to open in late 2028 and serve children and adolescents county wide with psychiatric residential treat ment, adolescent substance use disor der services, behavioral health urgent care and outpatient programming. Its presence on the 120 acre campus will significantly expand access to high quali ty care for foster youth at the short-term

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Riverside County Department of Public Social Services | Annual Report 2024 - 2025