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Devereux Georgia treats the highest level, at-risk youth in Georgia from the ages of 10-21 who are experiencing emotional and behavioral challenges brought on by mental illness, commercial sexual exploitation, abuse, neglect, and/or intellectual/developmental disabilities. In 1973, Governor Jimmy Carter identified a need for a residential facility for at-risk youth in Georgia. Through this identified need Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health was brought to Georgia to serve these children, provide a safe place to live, address childhood trauma and allow for healing. Devereux GA serves over 400 of the most at-risk youth each year. Devereux accepts children that most other programs of its kind will not accept for treatment. It is not unusual for a child to have had 20+ treatment failures before coming to us. The children who are referred to Devereux GA have often exhausted all other resources for care due to mental illness and behavior disorders that result in self-injurious behaviors, aggression towards others, criminal activity, drug use and addiction, and promiscuous behaviors, among many others. At Devereux GA, we believe that every child deserves a chance to heal and thrive from the effects of childhood trauma. A child’s past does not define their future. We serve children and youth from every race, ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, language, and physical ability. At Devereux GA we are changing the trajectory of the lives for the children and youth served. Although insurance reimbursements and private pay cover most of our 23-million-dollar budget to run a psychiatric hospital, fully accredited school and food, clothing and shelter for 400 youth per year, an additional 500k is required each year in order to provide the highest levels of mental health treatment and state of the art education, recreational and life skills enrichment programs for our youth. This is why it's imperative that we raise this additional 500k through in-kind support and funding from special events, individuals, foundations and corporations. Community support such as yours helps to build a safer community by supporting Devereux’s efforts to provide opportunities for children to learn the life skills and social interaction techniques necessary to enable them to become self-supporting, productive members of our local community. Successful treatment of children with mental health issues and their families directly impacts our communities. Without the treatment and services provided by Devereux, these young people could, one day, become a tax burden on multiple systems through homelessness, criminal activity, and/or long-term institutionalization.