Because no child should be without hope . . .
Phaneuf Youth Treatment Center
About Phaneuf Youth Treatment Center
Phaneuf Youth Treatment Center, then called Phaneuf Center, was opened in Brockton in 1972 as an emergency shelter and counseling center for adolescent substance abusers. It was housed in the former Phaneuf Hospital building in Brockton's north end. At the time, Phaneuf was part of the National Runaway Hotline system with youth coming not only from the Brockton area but from many other states. Phaneuf also hosted a drop in health clinic serving those in need from the Brockton area. All services were free to those in need making the Phaneuf Center the first free drop in center for homeless, runaway, and substance abusing youth.
Phaneuf Center became involved with youth committed to the Department of Youth Services in the mid 1970's as the state was closing down the institutions used to hold juvenile offenders. By 1978 as state agencies began to formalize their search for services for youth in their care and began requesting more beds from existing programs, Phaneuf Center was serving both males and females from the Department of Youth Services and the Department of Social Services. During the mid 1980's Phaneuf Center left its original site to go to its current facility on Market Street in the south side of Brockton. In the process, it changed from a co-educational setting to one working only with males.
In the early 1990's Phaneuf Center began to exclusively offer its services to only those males committed to the Department of Youth Services. At this point, Phaneuf became a short term secure treatment center complimented by its sister program, Bishop Ruocco House, which offered longer term treatment. Life Resources was one of the only agencies during this time period to offer a comprehensive treatment approach consisting of residential, educational, and clinical departments staffed with Masters level clinicians as well as consulting psychiatrists.
Today, the Phaneuf Youth Treatment Center continues its holistic approach to treatment. At the core of its approach is the primacy of the family unit. As members of the Phaneuf community, the residents practice cooperation, accountability, and communication. These skills are the building blocks of a healthy family. Through multi-family treatment group, the residents and their families have a safe and supportive environment to explore their issues and resolve differences. Individual family sessions are offered to those whose situations require more in depth treatment.
Phaneuf Youth Treatment Center Program Director: Peter Rogers