Youth stabilization center

Hennepin County is developing a youth stabilization center. The center will serve youth with complex mental health and behavioral needs.

The project is within the Behavioral Health Center, 1800 Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis.

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Target population and services

County-connected youth with complex mental health and behavioral needs
Treatment and therapeutic supports while triage, assessment, and planning take place with families
Culturally responsive services delivered by a community agency
13 beds for short-term stays of 30-45 days

Stabilization services

A small population of county-connected youth have significant needs due to complex diagnoses, behaviors, and trauma. Gaps and barriers in Minnesota’s human services and juvenile justice systems mean these youth do not have access to appropriate care settings.

Residential crisis stabilization services fill an important gap for youth who cannot remain safely at home, offering treatment and therapeutic supports for youth while triage, assessment, and planning take place with families.

Timeline and updates

June 2025 updates

Construction and permitting

Construction progressing; on track for completion in October
Construction underway for outdoor youth activity space; temporary construction fencing installed on north side of the building entry off Chicago Avenue
Conditional Use Permit hearing with City of Minneapolis Planning Commission on June 16

Licensing, contracting, and programming

Service provider Nexus Family Healing ready to begin hiring for program leadership positions, with staff positions to follow
Minnesota Department of Human Services licensing application under review and on track for approval
Minnesota Department of Health approved construction documents; will perform inspection when construction is complete
Application for the on-site school program being submitted in collaboration with local school

Community engagement

Met with Ventura Village neighborhood association, which passed a resolution of support ahead of the city planning commission meeting
Additional youth engagement session held with the YMCA Center for Youth Voice
Emergency department tour with M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital
Engaging with system partners and stakeholders for referral and admissions processes

More about the project

Partners and providers

Mohagan Hansen, architects
Human eXperience, behavioral health design firm
Nexus Family Healing, service provider

Building a System of Care

Hennepin County has a vital role in addressing children’s mental health and keeping youth, their families, and the community safe. We have adopted the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) System of Care framework to guide our work.

In recent years, we have invested at every level of the mental health continuum – early intervention, crisis response, and deep-end services – to serve more youth and families, and achieve better outcomes for all.

Learn more about System of Care

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