Services for Unaccompanied Children

Our mission is to take care of children, no matter the circumstances. VQ believes that every child deserves respect, a safe environment and a caring home.

VQ provides shelter and care to unaccompanied children and teens who enter the United States without a parent or guardian.

We strive to make youth feel as safe and comfortable as possible while we search for a permanent residence for them. Most youth are with us for less than 30 days.

The moment a youth enters one of our programs, we do everything in our power to ensure they feel welcomed. Many of them have had very difficult journeys to get to where they are and we want them to feel as if they are finally safe. While they are with us, each child is treated with the utmost respect. We provide them with fresh clothes, hot meals, and a bed of their own to sleep in. As we continue to care for them, our staff dedicate themselves to contacting each child's family members in their home country and work to identify any and all family members who reside in the U.S. A majority of children are united with family members or approved sponsors within a month of arrival.

Key Qualities

Nutritious and Culturally Appropriate Meals and Snacks

New Clothing and  Personal Hygiene Items

Personalized Space including a bed, desk and dresser

Recreational Activities including sports, art and music

Guided Life Skills

Individualized Daily Classroom Education

Healthcare
Including vaccines,  routine physicals and dental exams

Mental Health Services including trauma informed counseling.

Some children, if they are unable to be placed rapidly, enter our Long Term Foster Care program.

Our first priority is to the safety and wellbeing of the children within our care. If no suitable sponsor for a child is located, the child may be moved into our Long Term Foster Care program. In this program, youth reside in our Pathfinder homes, attend public school and volunteer in their communities , while our case managers work with legal assistance programs to establish permanent legal residency and placement for the youth.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where are unaccompanied children currently being housed?

Before they come to stay in VQ facilities, unaccompanied children are typically kept in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.

Why are you accepting contracts to detain migrant children?

Regardless of their immigration status, VQ believes that every child deserves to have a place where they can feel respected and cared for. We provide that place for youth that we take in while a sponsor who can care for them more permanently is found. We also place an emphasis on using the least restrictive measures possible in these programs to prevent youth from feeling trapped in any way.

How long do children typically stay within the program?

A majority of the cases in these programs are placed into the care of a sponsor within a month of arrival, though some cases do take longer. If a suitable sponsor is not able to be identified for a child, they are transitioned into a long-term foster care program until a more permanent solution can be found.

How will your shelters be different from what they currently have?

Our shelters provide youth with fresh clothes, hot meals, and spaces to call their own. In addition to this, we offer each youth the proper education for their age while they are enrolled in our programs, but we also ensure that they have leisure time and space for activities, both indoors and outdoors.

Where are the VQ refugee facilities to be located?

Our facilities are currently located in southern Arizona, but we are constantly searching for different areas to expand into should the opportunity and necessity arise. Our facilities are strategically located to reduce travel times for youth from ORR custody as well as into the custody of their sponsor.

Have a Question?

Have a question? Let us know.

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Feather

Steven Rogers Village

Tucson, Arizona

Age

11-17

Gender

Males

The Steven Rogers Village is a 50-bed long-term foster care program located in Tucson, Arizona. This program consists of nine different houses and each individual home is located in a residential neighborhood setting and operated under a group residential care model. These homes are designed to emulate a family style setting and as such, each has a small capacity of between five and eight youth. The children residing in the program attend public school and are encouraged to engage safely with community activities.

Program Director

Yvonne Moore

Feather

Gwen Mikeal Village

Tucson, Arizona

Age

5 - 17

Gender

Females

The Gwen Mikeal program is a 50-bed residential program for young women located in Tucson, Arizona. This program provides medical, clinical, case management, and education services as well as life skills training to help youth succeed once they leave the program.

Program Director

Jocelyn Valencia

Feather

Sam Mahan Center

Benson, Arizona

Age

12 - 17

Gender

Males

A 48-bed residential program for young men located in Benson, Arizona, the Sam Mahan Center offers safe residential care for males ages 12 to 17. The program offers Education, Life Skills Instruction, Medical Care, Clinical Services, Recreation, Family Reunification and a safe space so they can begin to find their center and heal from what happened to them in the past.

Program Director

Adrian Barbachan

Steven Rogers Village
Tucson, Arizona
Steven Rogers Village
Tucson, Arizona
Gender
Males
Age
11-17
# of Homes
9

The Steven Rogers Village is a 50-bed long-term foster care program located in Tucson, Arizona. This program consists of nine different houses and each individual home is located in a residential neighborhood setting and operated under a group residential care model. These homes are designed to emulate a family style setting and as such, each has a small capacity of between five and eight youth. The children residing in the program attend public school and are encouraged to engage safely with community activities.

Program Director
Yvonne Moore
Gwen Mikeal Village
Tucson, Arizona
Gwen Mikeal Village
Tucson, Arizona
Gender
Females
Age
5 - 17
# of Homes

The Gwen Mikeal program is a 50-bed residential program for young women located in Tucson, Arizona. This program provides medical, clinical, case management, and education services as well as life skills training to help youth succeed once they leave the program.

Program Director
Jocelyn Valencia
Sam Mahan Center
Benson, Arizona
Sam Mahan Center
Benson, Arizona
Gender
Males
Age
12 - 17
# of Homes

A 48-bed residential program for young men located in Benson, Arizona, the Sam Mahan Center offers safe residential care for males ages 12 to 17. The program offers Education, Life Skills Instruction, Medical Care, Clinical Services, Recreation, Family Reunification and a safe space so they can begin to find their center and heal from what happened to them in the past.

Program Director
Adrian Barbachan