Meet JRI's Service Navigator

Our Navigator personally answers questions and talks with you about resources that may be available in the community to meet your individualized needs. If you have any questions about our programs or services, or aren't sure what you need, contact our Service Navigator, Rachel Arruda, and we will get in touch with you as soon as possible.

(781) 559-4745
navigator@jri.org
Rachel Arruda

Rachel has been a part of the JRI team since January, 2000. For over 20 years, Rachel has been working in the field of human services assisting families with accessing and navigating services. Rachel received her Bachelors degree in psychology and Masters Degree in Public Administration from Bridgewater State University. She was promoted in July 2005 to Family Networks Program Director where she closely worked with the Department of Children Families for 10 years ensuring that children and families received the highest quality of individualized services ranging from community based through residential care. Rachel is very dedicated to helping the individuals she works with and is committed to improving the lives of children and families. Rachel’s passion for creative service programming inspires her in her role as JRI Service Navigator.

Services

Transitional Homes

The Transitional Homes program provides court-involved adolescents the opportunity to thrive in safe, supportive, and secure home settings supervised by licensed House Parents.

This is a program of SMART Team, a Division of Justice Resource Institute.

Boy doing homework
At a Glance
This service is for
Focus: To transition court-involved young people out of the juvenile justice system through placement in a community setting.
Age: 13-24
Gender: male, female, transgender, non-conforming
Let's Connect
Shabori Burton, LCSW
Program Director
SMART Team at JRI
555 Amory Street, Suite 3
Boston, MA 02130
(617) 548-4895 Hotline: (617) 431-0125
(617) 522-0904
Services

Transitional Homes offer short-term, out-of-home placement for youth in various circumstances. All youth are assigned an advocate upon intake to ensure strides are being taken towards reaching their placement goals.

  • Community-based Alternative to Detention: Provides placement for first-time, low-level offenders while awaiting their initial court appearance as an alternative to being held in a secure facility. Youth are closely supervised by licensed house pprents and have daily contact with staff from the Metro Regional Reception Center.
  • Kinship Care: Supports DYS-committed youth in placements with extended family members or other positive adult connections in the community.
  • Long-term Care: For young people without an identified kinship placement, long-term transitional homes provide the same opportunity to make progress towards independence in the community.
Approach

Transitional homes aim to incorporate the Department of Youth Services’ core principles and build upon the comprehensive structure of the foster care model including a bolstered approach to trauma-informed practices, promoting development of house parents, and providing a safe, healthy environment while protecting the public, house parents, and youth. Young people who are referred to the program will be exposed to the opportunity to capitalize on strengths, find their voices, and build competence to achieve positive, sustained outcomes.

House Parents

House parents are a critical component to the success of the program; therefore, SMART Team provides house parents with step-by-step assistance in initial licensure and ongoing support including specialized training, case coordination, access to 24/7 on-call staff, and a generous financial stipend.

Request More Information

For assistance determining which programs or services will meet your individualized need, please fill out the form below. If you have a question regarding a particular program, please contact the Program Director listed in the “Let’s Connect” box above.

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