ADAMS TWP — New and exciting things are happening at an old institution.

Mars Home for Youth has changed its name to MHY Family Services to reflect changes in direction at the facility.

Martin Harris, executive director, said the familiar Tudor buildings across from Mars High School have been known as a residential youth facility throughout their 130-year existence.

“The reality is, over the past five years, we have seen significant growth in our community-based programs,” Harris said.

Steve Green, MHY's director of community-based services, said the national trend is to treat troubled and at-risk youths without placing them in a facility and to provide care following any residential treatment.

“We have developed a continuum of care for the youth that we serve, and this is our major goal,” Green said. “Every day a child is away from their home, school and friends is a traumatic event, and we are sensitive to that.”

While Mars Home for Youth traditionally offered services for at-risk youths only in Butler County, MHY Family Services now offers community-based services to youths in seven counties in Western Pennsylvania.

New properties bought in Butler and Venango counties, which were former residences, were converted to office space for workers providing in-home services to their young clients.

Harris said the primary services offered in the new configuration include multisystemic therapy in the homes of youths with anti-social behaviors. He said volumes of research prove therapy provides the best results for at-risk children.

“There are lot of services to provide, but MST is the best, most cost-efficient and effective one of them,” Harris said.

A satellite office in Beaver County provides intensive therapy and case management services in clients' homes.

Harris said while long-term residential services will remain available to youths aged 12 to 18 in the cottages dotting the MHY campus, emphasis is now being placed on a new 28-day intensive residential program for children as young as 9 and up to 18.

Regarding expenses associated with MHY's new focus, Harris said long-term residential care or placement in a psychiatric setting at a hospital is much more expensive than short-term residential or at-home care.

“MHY Family Services is much more cost-effective than a hospital,” Harris said.

Green said once clients leave the 28-day program, they begin receiving community-based care from MHY.

He said two initiatives in child welfare used by MHY are “family findings” and “family group decision making,” which have reduced the number of children placed in residential care across the state.

Green said the programs look beyond a troubled youth's immediate family, which may be part of the problem, and deal with extended family and close friends of each client for support in their continued success.

Harris said MHY Family Services has received two certifications in the past two years, the Sanctuary Accreditation and international accreditation from the Council on Accreditation and Rehabilitation Facilities.

Harris said the latter shows families, clients, funding bodies and the community MHY exceeds international standards of care.

“It bodes well for the future of the organization,” Harris said.

The changes at MHY also have affected Longmore Academy, the alternative school on the campus.

Principal Mark King said because MHY's 28-day program includes younger children, he will meet this month with state Department of Education officials to talk about adding grades one through four at Longmore. The school now educates residential students in grades five through 12, plus 30 students from 15 school districts that use Longmore as their alternative school.

King said parents like the name change because they associated Mars Home for Youth with sending their child to an orphanage. King also received positive feedback from two school districts that contract with Longmore regarding the switch to MHY Family Services.

Harris said the campus now treats more than 500 residential clients each year, and another 400 in the community-based programs.

Community members can check out what's new at MHY at the facility's second annual Historical Tour and Open House, which will be from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sept. 15.

Visitors will find music, a barbecue lunch, snacks, giveaways, raffles and activities for the entire family.

Amy Smith, development manager at MHY, said sponsorship opportunities at the event are available by calling 724-625-3141, Ext. 228.

MHY started at its current location in 1929 as an orphan's home run by the Fourth United Presbyterian Church of Allegheny County. In the 1950s, the home was renamed United Presbyterian Home for Children, and then Mars Home for Youth in the 1970s.