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The STEP Program

About the STEP Program

STEP stands for stabilization, transition, and evaluation program. STEP is a short-term shelter program that provides young people, ages 10 to 18, with assessment, evaluation, behavioral rehabilitation, and service planning and placement recommendations.  In the STEP Program, youth are placed in foster homes or shelter facilities with trained foster parents and staff who are dedicated to helping them take the next positive ‘STEP’ in their lives.

Who does STEP Help?

STEP serves youth who are court involved or in the custody of the Department of Human Services and are in need of short term shelter and evaluation, counseling and support, and assistance making their next life transition. They are likely to have histories of runaway behavior, self harm, sexual re-activeness, law violations, drug and alcohol use, property destruction, as well as academic and behavioral problems in school.

How does STEP Help?

In the STEP program, youth are placed in foster homes, or at Seneca and Summit House, depending on which environment best suits their needs. In either of these situations, youth receive:

• 24 hour sight and sound supervision
• Professional staff available 24 hours a day for crisis counseling and support
• Case management services
• Coordination of family visits
• Access to medical and dental services
• Access to mental health and drug and alcohol treatment through Lifeworks Northwest
• Individual and group skill building
• Group counseling
• Recreational activities
• Gender specific programming

Seneca House & Summit House

In 2009 Boys & Girls Aid opened the doors of two new facilities to serve youth in our STEP program. Each house can accommodate up to 9 youth at a time, and both are located in SE Portland. Seneca House serves girls in the program and Summit House serves the boys.  Youth who are placed in foster homes come to the respective houses for day programming and case management.  Foster parents coordinate with program staff to ensure consistency of services between foster homes and the facilities.  Case managers are available to support both house staff and foster parents as they take on the challenging situations that occur day to day when supporting youth from the difficult life circumstances we see every day in the STEP program.