The president of Youth Advocate Programs, Inc., says they will continue to fight for services in Tarrant County after commissioners reversed course and voted to approve a contract with My Health My Resources (MHMR) of Tarrant County to replace them.
The Tarrant County Juvenile Board voted back in July to cut their contract with YAP short.
When a juvenile is arrested and brought before a judge, the judge can decide to send them to YAP instead of jail.
YAP had been working with the county for 32 years and was in the middle of a three-year contract when the news came.
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“They want to know what’s next? Why is this happening?” said Alex Alvear, program director with Tarrant County Youth Advocates Program.
They said board members had misconceptions about their political advocacy.
“YAP is not … political, and the juvenile court shouldn’t be, either," said Kimberly Brandon, YAP regional vice president.
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Brandon said that, as of Monday, they had to let go of all juveniles they work with as Tarrant County referrals.
She said although other local groups do some aspects of their work, no one provides wraparound services like they do, working with juveniles and their families in many different aspects of their lives: social, emotional, academic, career, and more.
“We hire people from GED to Ph.D.'s, they have similar backgrounds, they understand the population of the young people and the families that we work with, and that’s that holistic approach that is hard to model, it’s hard to implement," Brandon said.
Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare was at July's board meeting and said most of the roughly 20 members backed the vote.
“[An] overwhelming majority said, ‘We don’t want to go with YAP.’ The juvenile judge said he has seen no evidence that what they’ve done is effective,” O'Hare said. “If they want to go back, bid again next year, change some things they’re doing, things they stand for, not to mention their YAP voice advocacy program that they bring all their graduates to, if they want to go back and change the way they do things, they can redo it just like everyone else and they’ll have a fair shot.”
O'Hare moved to approve a youth services contract with MHMR, which the juvenile board had approved after a bidding process.
“It appears that the Tarrant County Juvenile Board is asking this body to rubber stamp what I consider a highly suspect contract," said Tarrant County Commissioner Alisa Simmons.
“I do not agree with replacing [YAP] and I will not be voting for the MHMR contract," said Commissioner Roy Brooks.
The contract was denied, giving YAP hope that they could still work with Tarrant County.
“The vote today sheds light and sheds hope," Brandon said.
But after a few hours in executive session, Brooks had changed his tune.
The commissioners returned to the dais and re-voted, with Brooks and Gary Fickes switching from yay to nay and passing the MHMR contract. They did not discuss it.
Gary Ivory, president of YAP, told NBC 5 over the phone that the vote didn't make sense.
"What was discussed in the dark that can't be discussed in the light?" he said, wondering why taxpayers weren't privy to the discussion.
Ivory said their contract has been renewed by Democratic and Republican commissioners for decades, until now.
He said they have a proven track record of keeping youth out of jail, but he worries that those statistics will change moving forward.
"It’s not easy work to come into these neighborhoods and gain the trust of these youth and these families," Alvear said.
Ivory said their Tarrant County branch remains open for other services, like a mental health clinic, but they plan to continue fighting to reinstate their contract, including possible legal options.
