Highway to hope

Highway to Hope is a program that uses the funds rasied through donations and grants to provide free in home counseling services to at risk children and adolescents in New Jersey. We provide mental health counseling to youth whose insurance benefits are exhausted or do not have insurance benefits. Most youth are allotted an authorization period for about 8 – 12 weeks from insurance companies. It is a cookie cutter approach that rarely provides enough time to address all of the issues, develop appropriate coping skills, and implement a transition plan. This program will extend counseling services beyond the authorization period to address these issues which will prevent recidivism, which is currently very high in New Jersey. 

Current statistics indicate that more than 20% of all youth are in need of mental health counseling. Yet, according to New Jersey Psychological Association, just above half of children 8 – 15 years of age receive the needed mental health services. New Jersey has about 2 million youth less than 18 years old, which means about 400,000 of New Jersey’s youth are in need of mental health services. Because this number is so high, there is simply not enough funding or qualified therapists to truly help these children in need, so short term plans are put in place that do not address the core issues or allow for a successful transition plan. This results in increased substance abuse, school drop outs, legal issues, lifelong mental health issues and suicide. Kidz Can believes in helping all children reach their full potential, one child at a time. We are prepared to work with each youth and their family for as long as it takes to successfully address the issues at hand.