--- title: HR 203. Youth Villages; commend collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr203 cite_as: HR 203, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr203 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr203.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr203/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70053 date: 2025-02-06 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr202.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr204.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr203.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 203 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-02-06 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Mary Oliver - Lee Hawkins - Debbie Buckner - Darlene Taylor - Katie Dempsey text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR203/2025 upstream_id: 1960993 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - legislative commendation - child welfare - foster care services - Youth Villages - Georgia House resolutions --- # HR 203. Youth Villages; commend ## Text House Resolution 203 By: Representatives Oliver of the 84th, Hawkins of the 27th, Buckner of the 137th, Taylor of the 173rd, and Dempsey of the 13th A RESOLUTION Congratulating and commending Youth Villages; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, Youth Villages was founded in 1986 and has built a national reputation for radically improving the lives of America's children, families, and young adults; and WHEREAS, Youth Villages is recognized as a leader in providing, partnering with others, and advocating for innovative, evidence-based, family-focused program models and services designed to preserve and restore families as well as help children reach for their dreams, bettering the lives of more than 43,000 youth annually in 27 states and the District of Columbia across 102 locations in 2024; and WHEREAS, the mission of Youth Villages is to "help children and families live successfully," and the organization adheres to its values, including that "kids' needs come first…always," believing that every child should have the resources and opportunities they need; and WHEREAS, Youth Villages began its operations in Georgia in 2009, marking 15 years of service in the state in 2024, during which it helped more than 5,500 children, families, and young adults; and WHEREAS, Youth Villages serves Georgia's children and their families through its Inner Harbour Campus, a psychiatric residential treatment facility in Douglasville, and it is elevating residential services in the state with $70 million in new construction and renovations at the facility; and WHEREAS, Youth Villages provides community-based services in the metro Atlanta area through its Intercept program, an integrated intensive in-home program proven to safely prevent children from entering foster care or to reunite families quickly when out-of-home care is required, and through its LifeSet model, which serves as a bridge to successful adulthood for young people who have experienced foster care or other childhood trauma; and WHEREAS, Youth Villages has been honored by numerous organizations and agencies, including being certified as a Great Place to Work and recognized by the White House as a "high-impact, results-oriented organization"; and WHEREAS, Youth Villages partners with the Georgia Departments of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, Community Health, Education, and Human Services to serve Georgia's children, families, and young adults; and WHEREAS, it is abundantly fitting and proper that the outstanding accomplishments of this distinguished organization, its staff, and its volunteers be appropriately recognized for their dedication and work to better the lives of Georgia's children, young adults, and their families. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body congratulate Youth Villages, its staff, and its volunteers and convey to them this legislative body's heartiest commendation for their past, present, and future work on behalf of children, youth, and their families in this state and throughout our nation. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to Youth Villages. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House resolution formally commends Youth Villages, a nonprofit serving children and families, for its 15 years of work in Georgia and its programs statewide. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives, not a law that changes any statute. It recognizes Youth Villages, a national nonprofit founded in 1986 that works with children, families, and young adults, for its work since it began operating in Georgia in 2009. The resolution highlights the organization's Inner Harbour Campus in Douglasville, a psychiatric residential treatment facility undergoing $70 million in construction and renovations, along with its Intercept in-home family program and LifeSet program for young people leaving foster care. It also notes Youth Villages' partnerships with several Georgia state agencies. The resolution directs the Clerk of the House to prepare a copy for distribution to Youth Villages as a formal commendation. ### What it does - Formally congratulates and commends Youth Villages, its staff, and its volunteers on behalf of the Georgia House of Representatives. - Recites the organization's history in Georgia since 2009 and its statewide programs, including the Inner Harbour Campus and the Intercept and LifeSet programs. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to Youth Villages. - Creates no new statutory requirements, funding, or penalties; it is a symbolic statement rather than a change to Georgia law. ### Who it affects Youth Villages, its staff, and volunteers are the direct subjects of the commendation. The resolution also references Georgia families and children served by the organization's programs, as well as the state agencies it partners with, including the Departments of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, Community Health, Education, and Human Services. ### Why it matters Because this is a commendation resolution rather than legislation, it does not change any law, create funding, or impose requirements. Its practical effect is limited to giving Youth Villages official legislative recognition for its work with Georgia children and families. ### Key provisions - The resolution's preamble ('WHEREAS' clauses) details Youth Villages' founding, mission, and 2024 Georgia footprint of over 5,500 people served in 15 years. - The resolved clause formally conveys the House's congratulations and commendation to Youth Villages, its staff, and volunteers. - A further resolved clause authorizes and directs the Clerk of the House to produce a copy of the resolution for distribution to the organization. - Contains no enforcement mechanism, funding appropriation, or effective date, consistent with its purpose as a commemorative resolution. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-02-06) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2025-02-06) - Sponsors: Mary Oliver, Lee Hawkins, Debbie Buckner, Darlene Taylor, Katie Dempsey - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70053 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr203.md?full=1