Oklahoma Association of Youth Services (OAYS)

The Oklahoma Association of Youth Services represents the state designated Youth Services Agencies. Through those local agencies, it delivers counseling, emergency shelter, and delinquency prevention to youth and families in communities across Oklahoma.

What it offers

• Counseling for young people and their families
• Emergency shelter for youth who need a safe place
• Delinquency prevention services that steer youth toward better paths
• A statewide association tying local Youth Services Agencies together
• Community-based support tailored to each local area

Who it is for

Local Youth Services Agencies serve youth and families within their own areas, so support is community based and close to home. Families facing a crisis with a teen, or seeking preventive help before problems deepen, are among those the agencies assist. The services can reach young people struggling at home, at school, or in the community, and the counseling and shelter options give families more than one kind of help to draw on. Current eligibility is described on the official site, since each local agency sets its own details.

Because services are delivered by the local Youth Services Agencies rather than the association itself, eligibility is set at the community level, and each designated agency describes its own current criteria. In broad terms, though, the agencies exist for youth and the families around them, so a household worried about a teen, or hoping to head off problems before they deepen, generally falls within the kind of situation these agencies are set up to help with.

Getting started

The first step is to find the designated Youth Services Agency for the local area, which families can do through the OAYS website. Once the right agency is identified, families contact it directly to access counseling, shelter, or prevention services. The association role is to help people reach the local provider that serves their community, so a family does not have to figure out on its own which door to knock on.

Before you reach out

Because support is delivered by local Youth Services Agencies, the first useful step is identifying the agency that serves a family’s area, which the OAYS website helps with. Knowing the community and the kind of help needed, whether counseling, shelter, or prevention, lets a family reach the right local provider directly.

It also helps to understand what the association does and does not do. OAYS connects people to the local agency rather than delivering services itself, so a family that comes ready to describe its situation can be routed quickly to the community-based provider that can actually help.

Reaching out early tends to help, since prevention services can support a young person before difficulties deepen, and the local agencies also offer counseling and emergency shelter when a situation is more urgent. Because each agency sets its own details, a family can ask the local provider directly about eligibility and what to expect at a first visit. Because the local agencies are community based, staff there tend to know the schools, resources, and other supports nearby, which helps a family connect the pieces rather than sorting through everything on their own.

Making contact starts with one step: finding the designated Youth Services Agency that covers a family’s area, which the OAYS website is set up to help with. Once a family identifies its local agency, it contacts that provider directly to ask about counseling, emergency shelter, or prevention services, and can confirm eligibility and what a first visit involves at the same time. The local agency then handles the day-to-day support close to home.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find the right agency?

Use the OAYS website to find the designated Youth Services Agency for your local area, then contact it directly. That agency serves your community.

What services do the agencies provide?

Counseling, emergency shelter, and delinquency prevention for youth and families. Support is community based and close to home.

Does the association provide services itself?

No. It ties local agencies together and helps people reach the provider serving their community. The local agency does the day-to-day work.

Who is eligible?

Local agencies serve youth and families in their areas, and each sets its own details. Current eligibility is described on the official site.