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Saint Francis programs in Atchison closed

Government funding changes end help for troubled teens

By Melodie Woerman

Editor, The Harvest

Two residential programs for teenagers run by Saint Francis Academy in Atchison closed July 1, the victim of changes in how those programs are funded by the state and federal governments.

According to the Rev. Gail Davis, executive director of the Atchison campus, the agency provided two kinds of residential services: a secure care program for runaways who were placed there by court order, and a therapeutic program for girls with severe emotional problems. Each program served about 20 youngsters, with a staff of almost 50.

Davis said changes in how federal Medicaid funds were allocated to the state for such programs meant Saint Francis no longer was able to cover the costs of the care it provided. There also has been a shift away from residential facilities to placing youngsters in community-based programs, which also had an impact on the level of funding.

Davis said Saint Francis plans to expand its remaining facilities in Atchison to include new recreational services for high-risk youth.

Kids in great need

Davis said the Atchison programs served a teen population becoming increasingly more troubled and in need of help. She said that in recent years initial screenings showed clients needed a higher level of care than Saint Francis could provide. That rarely was the case in the past, she said. “We’re seeing a higher level of emotional disturbance in these kids, because there are fewer facilities where they can go,” she said.

The loss of the Atchison programs will make that situation even worse, she said. The only other secure care facility in Kansas is in WaKeeney in western Kansas.

Numbers in the programs began dwindling after the closure announcement was made May 2. By early June only six youngsters remained. Girls in the therapeutic program were being transferred to other similar facilities or to foster homes. Many of the boys and girls in the secure care program for runaways were released after their 60-day placement with Saint Francis ended. Usually they were being sent to live with relatives or to programs with a lower level of care. That concerns Davis.

“If they don’t get the help they need there, they will start to do things that could land them in detention or adult jail,” she said. “And society really pays the price then.”

Davis said that while other programs for troubled teens exist in Kansas, what Saint Francis offered was unique. “We took some of the most challenging children and helped them,” she said. “There is satisfaction in that. There are other good programs, but our emphasis on therapy in Christ, combined with regular social services, was the best possible way to help them.”

Therapy in Christ

Davis said Saint Francis, since its founding in 1945 by the Rev. Robert Mize (later Bishop of San Joaquin), uses the philosophy of “Therapy in Christ” to reach troubled youth. Participants in the Atchison programs had their days surrounded by prayer — daily morning prayer in the chapel and evening prayers in the residences. Holy Eucharist also was celebrated twice weekly in the chapel.

Davis said the religious background of the residents usually fell into two categories. “They either believed in an angry or judgmental God,” she said, “or they had no religious background whatsoever. We got kids who kind of knew Christmas was about presents but had no idea there was anything religious about it.”

Davis said the work of the staff, many of whom are people of deep Christian faith, was to begin to help them see a concept of a loving God. “The first thing we did was to give them the idea that there was something outside themselves,” she said. “They would come to us with no hope, which is very sad, but we gave them a glimpse of what is out there, and that their lives can change.”

The Saint Francis Academy motto is “Lives Change Here,” and Davis said she saw that happen. “They want something to fill their needs, something to hang onto. We offer them something different from drugs, violence and inappropriate sex.”

She said in the four years she was with Saint Francis, about a dozen youngsters each year asked to be baptized. Often their sponsors would be members of the staff. She said others took advantage of the healing services offered, and other youngsters were helped by making a formal confession. “Some kids were very much into that,” she said. “They needed that ritual.”

Other youngsters didn’t have religious experiences, but Davis said the emphasis on God’s love still had an impact. “We can’t fix some of these kids,” she said, “but we can give them things they otherwise wouldn’t have. Sometimes they will remember something good from their past, or we are able to build on the kindesses they are receiving while they are here. If you love them and they know you love them, anything is possible. They begin to love themselves.”

An expanded Lodge

Davis said she is pleased Saint Francis has decided to expand its remaining facility in Atchison, the Lodge. Davis will stay as director of that new operation. She said the existing building can sleep 20 people and has a large community meeting room and a commercial-style kitchen. There are two lakes on the 177-acre property, along with a ropes course that has been used by outside groups for building trust through physical challenges.  Plans call for adding more sleeping space in a second lodge and smaller cabins, as well as smaller breakout meeting rooms and a new chapel.

She said her new job will be to seek funding through private donors, grants or other sources to expand the facilities so new programs can be offered there. “We want to be able to offer day camps, retreats and meeting space for other groups,” she said. “And we want to develop outdoor recreation programs for at-risk, hard-to-place kids.”

Davis said she was pleased that Saint Francis will continue to have a presence in the Diocese of Kansas. The programs in Salina and Ellsworth, in the Diocese of Western Kansas, are different from those offered in Atchison and are less affected by the funding shifts, she said. The Rev. Linda English, a priest from the Diocese of Kansas, will continue as a chaplain with those programs.