New group home going to Courthouse Road
Will serve at-risk adolescent boys
By Greg Pearson

A new group home will open on Courthouse Road a few blocks south of Hull Street Road by the end of the year. If all goes as expected, Intercept Youth Services, the owner of the home, predicts its neighbors will hardly know it's there.

Intercept usually owns or lease/ purchases a group home of about 3,000 square feet and remodels it to accommodate eight persons.

"We look for group home locations that have entry-level jobs nearby," says Intercept's Operations Director Drew Routh. "They are close to everything but not near anything."

Situated on five acres, the Courthouse Road home will serve boys ages 12-19.

Typically, the home's residents will include five boys who attend Chesterfield County schools, two who have a learning disability and one who is studying for his GED.

Though some of the boys will be employed part-time, those 16-years old and older usually do not drive. Routh estimates the average residential stay will be nine months.

"We haven't been in the news because we are good operators and keep a low profile," said Mark Bogert, owner and executive director of Intercept. "We strategically locate to have low impact on neighbors. We avoid locating in bad neighborhoods with bad schools for the sake of the kids and the Commonwealth."

Bogert said his for-profit company will spend about $100,000 remodeling the Courthouse Road location, which will include an addition so "the residents can have single bedrooms." The kitchen will be remodeled to accommodate four refrigerators shared by two teens each. Intercept is also constructing a fence to provide privacy for one neighbor.

Funding for group homes comes from local, state and federal governments. "When we pioneered a federal program that bills Medicaid, we saved the Commonwealth millions of dollars," explained Bogert. He declined to give further financial information.

Intercept is just one of several group home companies operating in Chesterfield. The company has other group homes on Providence Road, Lucks Lane, Turner Road, Iron Bridge Road and Newbys Bridge Road.

"The state and county have no authority over where a group home can locate," said Karen Reilly-Jones, administrator of comprehensive services for Chesterfield County and Colonial Heights. "We don't have the large facilities. More typically, they're in a residential setting."

This group home "is protected by the Fair Housing Act and licensed by the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse," she added.

Reilly-Jones estimated that Chesterfield has about 36 group homes for children.

"These are good kids in a rotten situation," says Routh. "They were typically abused or neglected and end up getting into trouble. They come to us with nothing and leave with a GED and a part-time job. They just need someone to care about them."

The boys are often in a group home because they have a behavior disorder or are suffering from depression. "Foster placement didn't work out for them," adds Routh.

They undergo "intense levels of education" in life skills, money management, nutrition and hygiene, according to Routh. The Courthouse Road home will be staffed by six fulltime adults who rotate among other Intercept homes.

During the day and evening hours, there will be at least two adult supervisors at the group home and one adult awake during the overnight period.