Janus Center 

Program Design 

• 24 hour hotline for youth in crisis (staffed by two caseworkers)

• Coordination of the national Safe Place program in the greater Bridgeport area, a program which identifies specific safe places with a bold yellow sign, firehouses, buses, small businesses, etc. When a teen asks for help at any Safe Place CCGB is called for an immediate response, 24 hours a day.

• Host homes for those needing temporary shelter

• Partnerships with 8 Bridgeport public schools, staffed by two caseworkers and supplemented with interns from the social work programs of local universities

Program Rationale 

• We offer coordinated care for youth in crisis and their families, collaborate with other agencies, and make referrals tailored to each teen’s needs and issues.

• We offer immediate interventions via the hotline and school referrals.

• We are on site at 8 Bridgeport public schools, so we go to where the students are, building relationships with teens, guidance counselors, teachers, and administrators.

• We provide respite care for teens for up to 2-3 weeks with 2 apartments, one each for boys and girls (staffed by a childcare worker and a host home parent), offer whole families a breather and a chance to reconcile.

• We provide a network of “Safe Places” for homeless and runaway teens, so they can get immediate help when stranded, in trouble, or in need of shelter.

Helping Youth In Crisis

Crisis Hot Line: Our hotline is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. When you need someone to talk to, when you are at the end of your rope, we are there, with compassion, experience, and resources.

FOR HELP, CALL 203-374-9473. 

Keeping Kids Safe

Safe Place

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When teens find themselves in crisis or need a place to stay, they should know how and where to get help. Our nation’s young people deserve safety and shelter and many youth feel they don’t have either. Thanks to Safe Place, immediate help is never too far away.

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Safe Place provides access to immediate help and supportive resources for youth in need. As a community initiative, the program designates schools, fire stations, libraries, and other youth-friendly organizations as Safe Place locations, which display yellow and black signs. 

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In the Greater Bridgeport area, when a youth asks for help at any of our Safe Place locations, they are immediately referred to The Council of Churches, and get the help they need.

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Mobile Crisis Service; Our mobile crisis service meets our clients where they are. When you need that personal, immediate, face-to-face contact, we come to you.

Reunifying Families

Case Management: Our Case Management professionals work with families of troubled youths to help them identify key issues, and get the support and resources they need to keep the family together.

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Host Home Care: A Host Home is a household that voluntarily opens hearts and homes to a youth between the ages of 11 and 17 years who is in need of temporary shelter, board, and care. When a youth cannot return home and is not under the supervision of the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF), The Janus Center for Youth in Crisis provides short-term Host Home care.

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Providing Brief Counseling: Our Case Management professionals are available for brief personal and family counseling in relaxed and informal settings.

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Summer Enrichment: We offer a five to six-week program tailored to engage at-risk city youth, providing them with a mixture of fun, educational and skill-building activities. Our curriculum brings up to 12 at-risk city youth ages 14 to 17 together three days a week (9 am – 1 pm) for exciting workshops, weekly field trips, and community service. Community service hours certificates are provided, as are transportation and lunch.