Coordinated Youth and Human Services has been serving the area since 1944.

Our core values are:

Respect and dignity for all clients
Strong commitment to client services
Active involvement of CYHS Board members
Dedication to family, teamwork, and cultural diversity
Staff professionalism
Diligence in seeking new revenue sources

History

Holding handsCoordinated Youth & Human Services (CYHS) is a non-profit social service agency serving Granite City, Madison, Venice, and the surrounding communities in southwestern Illinois. CYHS was founded in 1944 in direct response to the need for delinquency services in Granite City. The agency's original name was Coordinated Youth Services. That name was changed to include Human Services when diverse programs were added which extended beyond youth programs. As the needs of the community have changed over the years, so have the programs and services provided by CYHS.

Education of at-risk students has been a cornerstone of CYHS since its inception. The Alternative Educational Program (AEP) was started in 1973 and serves students who have demonstrated a lack of success in traditional school programs. The Educational Enhancement Program (EEP) was established in 1991. It offers individualized educational plans for special needs students and their families.

The Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program has been serving all of Madison County since 1974 with nutrition education and breastfeeding support. Family Case Management (FCM) was added to CYHS in 2000 and is a companion program to WIC to better serve these families. In 2001, Healthy Families Illinois (HFI) started, with an emphasis on first-time parents.

The Madison County AIDS Program (MadCAP) was established in 1986 to prevent the spread of HIV and respond to the needs of people and families affected by HIV. Case management services assist HIV positive clients, while counseling, testing, and educational services have been added to reduce the risk and spread of the disease.

The Prevention Program has been providing education and support services to parents, teachers, youth, and other community members since 1990. This includes the Teen REACH after school program, Tri-Cities Drug Free Communities Coalition, the Recovery School, CHOICES life skill sessions, and RAINBOW grief and loss support groups.

As CYHS has responded to the community's needs, the facilities to support these services have changed over the years. In November 1993, the agency moved to its current building on Madison Avenue, where all the Granite City programs were under one roof. As the programs expanded, so did the need for additional space.  The educational programs were able to lease space from the Granite City School District at Lake School starting in 2000. The educational programs moved in October 2007 to River's Edge with the opening of a new 19,500 square foot building specifically designed to serve the student population CYHS serves. A WIC/FCM clinic opened in Wood River at the Madison County Health Department to better serve clients in that portion of Madison County.