Community Resources

The following resources are available to assist all children and families in Hamilton County, regardless of contact with the Court.

Child Protection

  • Bridges Program: Bridges serves eligible young adults who leave foster care on or after their 18th birthday, but are not yet 21, to transition to independence. It provides financial support and mentoring to help meet basic needs, including education, housing, and financial security. Partners include HCJC, the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office, the Office of the Hamilton County Public Defender, Hamilton County Job & Family Services and ProKids, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services and the Child and Family Health Collaborative of Ohio.
  • Kids In School Rule!: Kids in School Rule! unites the Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati, Cincinnati Public Schools, Hamilton County Juvenile Court and Hamilton County Job & Family Services to help foster care students succeed in school and graduate from high school.
  • ProKids- CASA Volunteers: The Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Program through ProKids recruits and trains volunteers to speak up for foster care children in court hearings.

Mental Health

  • Child and Family Treatment Center of Central Clinic Behavioral Health provides counseling and school-based assistance to children of all ages, and consultation and treatment for children under the age of five.
  • Fernside is dedicated to supporting children through times of grief. It provides a variety of support groups, including for those with special needs, as well as phone consultations, on-site grief counseling for schools, and summer camps and weekend retreats.
  • Lighthouse Youth Services aids youth through crisis intervention, outpatient mental health assistance, services for youth in the juvenile justice system, and more.
  • Mental Health Access Point, a division of Central Clinic, provides a variety of mental health services, including mental health assessments, 24-hour telephone hotline and crisis intervention.
  • Mental Health and Recovery Services Board provides mental health, addiction, and prevention services including a recovery center, phone support for those not in crisis but need to talk, and a wellness club that offers affordable exercise and activities.
  • MindPeace connects schools and families to mental health resources for children. It provides services, including MindPeace Rooms, safe spaces in schools where schoolchildren can de-escalate and learn self-regulation and resiliency skill, transition care for students entering or leaving high school, connecting students to school therapists, and suicide prevention support.
  • National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Southwest Ohio provides mental illness education programs, support groups, and mental illness information and referral phone line.
  • New Path Child & Family Solutions (formerly St. Joseph Orphanage) provides crisis and short-term residential treatment for children ages 5-17 who show emotional or mental health concerns or who are a risk to their own or others’ safety. It also offers a variety of counseling services, including intensive home-based treatment, foster and adoption services, and transition to independence programs. 

Physical Health and Recreation

  • Cincinnati Recreation Commission is dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of people of all ages through its recreation centers, senior clubs, pools, golf courses, fields, and more that are located throughout Cincinnati. CRC offers services including day camps, recreational leagues, and disability programs.
  • Friars Club of Greater Cincinnati offers organized sports and leadership programs to children from ages four to 17.

Medical

  • Center for Addiction Treatment offers various treatment methods to those addicted to drugs, alcohol, or gambling: in-patient (residential) treatment, medically-monitored detox, outpatient medication assisted treatment, outpatient mental health and family counseling, and family education.
  • Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center is rated one of the best pediatric hospitals in the nation, providing high-quality medical care for a wide range of general and specific health issues.
  • FreeClinics has information on 25 free and income-based clinics in the Cincinnati area, including services, prices, and contact information.
  • Healthcare for the Homeless is a program run by the Cincinnati Health Network. It provides primary medical and mental health services, substance abuse addiction treatment, respite care, and referrals to dental and other health services to those experiencing homelessness.

Multi-Service

  • Community Councils of Cincinnati offer many different services, from neighborhood improvement projects to job readiness and training programs for each individual neighborhood in the City of Cincinnati. 
  • The Neighborhood House is the official community development corporation of the West End. Its services include a food pantry, a trauma recovery center, athletic and art programs, GED education, victim of crime advocates, and women’s support groups.
  • United Way of Greater Cincinnati supports over 200 programs that help move families out of poverty. Their staff is available 24/7 to connect people to community services like childcare, counseling, food, shelter, and more. To talk with someone from United Way, call their free, confidential hotline at 2-1-1.

Youth Job and Volunteer Opportunities

  • ArtWorks is a non-profit organization that creates community-based public art, such as building murals, and offers paid apprenticeships to young people ages 14-24 in the Cincinnati community.
  • Avondale Youth Council offers work and volunteer opportunities to teenagers in the Cincinnati community.
  • Cincinnati Human Relations Commission provides resources and connections with a goal to develop and enhance the knowledge base and skill sets of those who might face obstacles due to racial, ethnic, gender, class, or social differences.
  •  Job Corps of Cincinnati teaches people ages 16-24 skills to become employable and help them find suitable careers or further education.

After-School Programs, Classes, and Camps

  • BLOC Ministries is a Christian organization that works to build a stronger community through healthy relationships. Youth services include “Girls Wanted”, a weekly program that gives teen girls a safe and fun space and “Horses on the Hill”, an equine activity and riding program on Cincinnati’s west side. It also offers after-school programs, pottery and ceramics classes, dance classes, sports training, cooking apprenticeships, and more.
  • Elementz is an Urban Arts Center that provides a range of classes including dance, DJ lessons, writing and poetry, drawing and painting, and music recording and production.  
  • Santa Maria Community Services supports families in Price Hill with educational, financial, and health goals. The Youth Development Program is open to all ages and offers athletic activities, homework assistance, and social time in a safe place with positive adult mentors.

 Educational Assistance

  • Breakthrough Cincinnati provides a four-year college preparatory summer learning program for high-need, underrepresented middle school students.
  • Cincinnati Arts and Technology Studios helps students earn fine arts credits so that they are able to graduate high school on time.
  • Cincinnati Youth Collaborative is dedicated to keeping kids in school and preparing them for college and future careers. 
  • New Path Child & Family Solutions (formerly St. Joseph Orphanage) offers educational support for K-12 students who have severe behavioral problems and cannot perform successfully in a typical school setting. 
  • SuperSeeds provides alternative discipline in schools through youth development, resources for parents and support for teachers and school administrators. The Option’s Day program consists of a day spent with judges, police officers, current prison inmates, students and staff at the University of Cincinnati, and more, to show students both the consequences of their actions and possibilities for their future with improved behavior.

Abuse and Domestic Violence

  • Council on Child Abuse is dedicated to providing education and awareness to end child abuse. It offers three main school-based services: strategies for school staff to recognize abuse and deal with bullying, educating parents to talk about abuse prevention, and teaching children to recognize abuse and bullying and offer intervention and support where needed.
  • Mayerson Center for Safe and Healthy Children is a Cincinnati Children’s Hospital program that works to evaluate, treat, and prevent child abuse. It provides medical and legal assistance to abused children and the children’s caretakers.
  • Women Helping Women looks to prevent gender-based violence and to empower survivors. It provides a crisis hotline, individual therapy, crisis intervention, hospital accompaniment, support groups, community, corporate, school prevention and education, and more.
  • 241-KIDS is Hamilton County’s hotline to report suspected cases of child abuse and neglect. It is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Legal Assistance

Disabilities Services

  • Abilities First provides therapy, learning assistance, and summer programs to children with disabilities.
  • Developmental Disabilities Services of Hamilton County helps people live and participate in their communities. The youth programs include early intervention services, two specialized schools for students with significant disabilities, and support to transition students from school to adulthood.

Family Services

  • Beech Acres Parenting Center offers classes and counseling to help parents learn how to better care for and connect with their children.
  • Fatherhood Project by Talbert House helps guide men to improve their connections and involvement with their children through classes, coaching, and fellowship support meetings.
  • Best Point Education & Behavioral Health (formerly Children’s Home) works to strengthen families through education, behavioral, and health services. Resources include autism and learning disability services, counseling for children and parents, a health center, a family visitation center, summer camps, and more.

Housing Instability and Homelessness

  • Bethany House Services is dedicated to helping families find stable housing and become self-sufficient. It provides emergency shelter to families experiencing homelessness, connects families to permanent housing, and teaches families life and professional skills.
  • Eviction Prevention Initiative is a St. Vincent de Paul operation that helps those who have been given a formal notice of eviction to pay their rent. To see if you qualify for assistance, visit this website.
  • Found House Interfaith Hospitality Network of Greater Cincinnati provides emergency shelter for families, along with services to aid in finding new housing and prevent future homelessness.
  • Mecum House is a Lighthouse Youth & Family Services initiative that offers free, confidential shelter to children ages 10-17 who do not feel safe in their homes.
  • Rent and Utility Assistance by St. Vincent de Paul is a program that offers help paying rent and utilities.
  • Sheakley Center for Youth is a Lighthouse Youth and Family Services program that offers shelter to 18-24-year-olds experiencing homelessness, and teaches self-reliance and life skills that lead to independent living.