Originally founded in 1972 as Youth Services for Oklahoma County, the organization rebranded as Pivot Inc. in 2018. Serving young people under age 24, the campus has two shelters and also provides drop-in services such as healthcare, mental health services, substance use treatment, education and employment assistance.
An often overlooked, yet significantly impactful way that Pivot serves the community is through their collaborations with the Oklahoma City Police Department (OKCPD). These partnerships include the Community Intervention Center (CIC) and working with Youth Enrichment Services (YES) officers.
The CIC opened in 1997 and is a 24-hour secure holding center for juveniles involved in offenses with the law, mostly misdemeanors, status offenses or runaway situations. It is a collaboration with the City of Oklahoma City, OKCPD and Office of Juvenile Affairs. Last year, the CIC served around 1200 youth and, in more typical, non-pandemic years, they would serve between 1500 and 1700. A juvenile’s average stay at the CIC is 12 hours but, in the event that a stay extends 24 hours, the youth is referred to Pivot’s other resources.
Terrell Johnson, CIC team lead, has been with the organization for 21 years. Before the CIC existed, he explained, “if a parent wasn’t home, law enforcement was stuck with the youth, and they weren’t out protecting the community. The CIC was created so that once law enforcement came into contact with the youth, they would bring the youth to the CIC,” and then the officer could return to serving the community. While the goal of the CIC is to return the officer to patrol within 15 minutes, the average turnaround is currently 8 minutes.
At the CIC, the juvenile undergoes a universal screening to connect the youth with Pivot services. Johnson said that the CIC is looking for the root cause of why the juvenile committed the crime, saying, “We’re not here to judge you. How can we help you?”
A heavy emphasis is placed on connecting the youth with services.
“Every time I help intake a youth, I ask them if they have somebody to talk to. We get quite a few youths that come through that have lost a loved one,” Johnson said. “Pivot is very diverse, and we are able to reach every kid because we look like every kid. We can meet them on every level.”
Johnson also praised the intense follow-up that his staff invests in every CIC youth. “My staff goes above and beyond; they do 30, 60 and 90 day follow-up phone calls to try and stay engaged with the youth. Every time we call these youth, we are constantly trying to connect them with services,” he said.
Johnson, who also coaches middle school and AAU basketball, came from a difficult childhood. “Working at Pivot, being trauma-informed, has changed my whole outlook on life. I was a troubled youth. My mom kicked me out when I was 15,” he said, noting that “the best thing my mom did was kick me out,” because he “wasn’t an angel.” Fortunately, his talent in sports helped him find success and support. “People saw past my behavior and saw something in me, and that’s what I see here at Pivot,” he said. “We look past the behavior issues because there is a reason behind everyone’s behavior.”
OKCPD Deputy Chief Vashina Butler praised the CIC’s measures to get to the “root of the issue.” She commended their counseling staff, who work with the involved youth to ask, “How is it that you ended up going down this road? What services can we provide to you, and/or your family, to prevent this from occurring again?”
The OKCPD and Pivot have enjoyed “a very positive partnership for years now,” Butler said, and that Pivot’s “multitude of services” helps not only the youth, but the entire family. “Being able to partner with the CIC and Pivot helps get those kids back on the straight and narrow.”
In addition to the CIC, Pivot works closely with YES officers to provide for the needs of youth struggling with school attendance. Formerly considered truancy officers, YES officers are now asking, “What is the cause of these youths to be out of school? Why aren’t they going to school?’” Butler said. YES officers meet school counselors and other administrators, and then with parents so they can deal with the family as a whole unit. To help support the students and YES officers, Pivot provides a pantry, not only for food, but for clothing and other household items as well. “Pivot really enables the police dept to be able to deal with these families on a holistic basis,” said Butler.
The YES officers, said Johnson, "have open access to our pantry. The officers pick up these goods and hand-deliver them.”
Butler noted that, initially, families were wary about accepting help, concerned about potentially losing their children to the legal system. “You have a lot of these families who initially start out skeptical, but now they’re singing our praises; they’re singing praises for Pivot, for CIC, because they’re offering these services and all of this is free of charge. We are able to get these kids back in school, making positive impacts on their lives and the family as well.”