Berks asks state for funds to reopen youth detention center

It's a problem that Berks County officials know they need to solve.

Like counties across the state, Berks has been struggling for years with a severe shortage of space at youth detention centers. The situation has left the county scrambling, sometimes even resorting to having young offenders spend weekends inside the youth probation office.

To address the issue, Berks is teaming up with Dauphin and Lehigh counties to reopen and operate its former youth detention center on County Welfare Road in Bern Township, which closed its doors in 2012.

And on Thursday, the Berks County commissioners decided to ask for some additional help.

The commissioners unanimously approved a resolution submitting a letter of intent to request funds from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services to assist in the restoration of the former Berks County Youth Detention Center.

The board in February approved an emergency declaration allowing officials to expedite the restoration of the detention center.

The rapid response to restore the center came after several county officials directly involved in the juvenile criminal justice system sounded the alarm this year that there is a desperate need for access to juvenile detention space amid a severe statewide shortage and a recent increase in young offenders.

The center is in need of substantial repairs and upgrades. In particular, restoration work is needed to fix water damage caused by a pipe that froze and burst in December 2022.

Chief Operations Officer Kevin Barnhardt told the board on Thursday that the letter is a key element in the process of reopening the facility, adding that the costs to renovate and operate the center will be shared equally between the three counties involved.

"Each county is in for the exact same percentage," he said.

Barnhardt said that about a month ago the county invited representatives from the Department of Human Services to tour the facility and received positive feedback.

"They understand the concept of a regional effort and we are asking today for the board to approve forwarding this letter of intent for funding to make the capital upgrades to reopen the facility," he said. "The future is looking very promising."

He said commissioners from Dauphin and Lehigh counties are expected to pass the same resolution in the weeks ahead.

Barnhardt said the plan is to create an entity that will oversee the finances and operations at the center with representatives from each participating county.

"We're really pleased with the progress we've made with the other counties," he said. "Everyone at this point seems locked in and wants to see this happen."

County Commissioners Chairman Christian Leinbach said it's important for people to keep in mind that it would be highly unlikely that the three counties could do this on their own.

"The financial requirements are just too significant," he said. "There are things we can do more effectively and efficiently as a joint effort than we can alone. I don't think we would be able to go ahead with this on our own."