Lighthouse Youth & Family Services

What Lighthouse Youth & Family Services does

Lighthouse Youth & Family Services is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, founded in 1969 to provide a comprehensive continuum of care for youth ages 0-24 and their families. The organization delivers a wide range of social services including foster care and adoption, outpatient mental health therapy, psychiatric services, residential treatment at three campuses (Lighthouse Youth Center at Paint Creek, New Beginnings, and the Youth Development Center), 24/7 emergency shelter (Mecum House for ages 10-17 and the Lighthouse Sheakley Center for ages 18-24), street outreach, transitional housing for homeless young adults, community juvenile justice services across three Ohio counties, school-based mental health, an integrated healthcare clinic, LGBTQ+ youth programming, and the GROW homelessness-prevention initiative. The organization reports serving approximately 4,000 children, youth, and families annually, with roughly 490 youth sleeping under a Lighthouse roof each night and 300 volunteers contributing annually.

There is no proprietary technology platform underlying service delivery; the organization relies on trained clinicians, social workers, case managers, and direct service staff across six facilities in Cincinnati, Ross County, Dayton, and Chillicothe. Revenue is sourced from Ohio Medicaid (specifically through the OhioRISE care management entity contract for western Hamilton County), state and county contracts for foster care and juvenile justice, federal grants (including from HHS/ACF's Family and Youth Services Bureau for the Street Outreach Team), per diem payments to foster parents, and a diversified philanthropic base of individual, corporate, and cryptocurrency donations channeled in part through the affiliated Lighthouse Beacon for Youth Foundation.

The organization is governed by a Board of Trustees with no parent company, external private equity, or investor ownership. Its go-to-market model is community- and referral-based: intake flows through Hamilton County Juvenile Court, Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, schools, healthcare systems, community outreach, and direct family contact. Competitive advantages center on its 55-year operational history, status as the only local provider of certain emergency shelter capacity, geographic coverage of multiple counties, and licensed/accredited standing within Ohio's behavioral health and child welfare systems.

Name

Lighthouse Youth & Family Services

Legal name

Lighthouse Youth Services, Inc.

Website

https://lys.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Lighthouse Youth & Family Services is a Cincinnati-based nonprofit founded in 1969 that delivers foster care, residential treatment, outpatient mental health, emergency shelter, juvenile justice services, and homelessness prevention programming to youth ages 0-24 across Ohio's Hamilton, Montgomery, and Ross counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth and Family Social Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Temporary Shelters (624221), Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities (62322)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Behavioral Health for Children & Adolescents (Youth Services) (HLAFACAL), Family Resource Centers & Wraparound Support Services (EDACALAH)

Keywords

• Youth residential services
• Foster care placement
• Outpatient mental health
• Emergency youth shelter
• Juvenile justice programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Contracts and Medicaid Reimbursement: Services are funded through Ohio Medicaid programs including OhioRISE (Resilience through Integrated Systems and Excellence), which is a Medicaid program designed to help young people with significant behavioral health issues. The organization serves as one of 18 care management entities (CMEs) in Ohio.
2. Foster Care Per Diem Payments: Foster parents receive tax-free per diem payments on the 10th of each month, with additional bonuses for sibling placements and teen placements. This represents reimbursement for care expenses.
3. Individual and Corporate Donations: The organization accepts donations including cryptocurrency, gifts of stock, in-kind donations, and planned giving through the Lighthouse Beacon for Youth Foundation.
4. Special Events and Fundraising: Annual events including Fall Event, Happy Holidays Gift Drive, and Beacon of Light Humanitarian Awards generate sponsorship revenue and direct donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Lighthouse Youth & Family Services provides direct human services for youth ages 0–24 and their families in the Greater Cincinnati region, including foster care and adoption placement, outpatient mental health and psychiatric services, emergency youth shelter, residential treatment, community juvenile justice programs, homeless youth outreach, and OhioRISE Medicaid care management. The organization operates multiple residential facilities, a 24/7 teen emergency shelter (Mecum House), and serves as one of 18 OhioRISE care management entities.

Product overview

Lighthouse Youth & Family Services is a social services nonprofit organization providing a continuum of care for youth ages 0-24 and their families. The organization operates as a service provider rather than a technology product company, offering direct client services including: emergency shelter (Mecum House for ages 10-17 and Lighthouse Sheakley Center for ages 18-24), foster care and adoption services, residential treatment centers (Lighthouse Youth Center at Paint Creek, New Beginnings, Youth Development Center), outpatient mental health services (including therapy, case management, psychiatric services, and school-based services), community juvenile justice services across Hamilton, Montgomery, and Ross Counties, the GROW homeless prevention initiative, OhioRISE care coordination, a healthcare clinic, and LGBTQ+ youth resources. Services are delivered through trained social workers, therapists, case managers, and support staff at multiple locations in the Cincinnati, Ohio area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Foster Care & Adoption Placement, training, and support services for foster families caring for children unable to live at home due to abuse, neglect, or other circumstances, including adoption services for children from infancy through late teens and per diem reimbursement to foster parents.
• Community Juvenile Justice Services Court-referred programs including Alternative Placement Treatment, Functional Family Therapy, Individualized Docket Services, and Predisposition Diversion Docket, providing mental health, substance use, and reentry services to youth in Hamilton, Montgomery, and Ross Counties to reduce recidivism.
• GROW (Gaining Resources, Opportunity & Wellness) Prevention program designed to stop youth homelessness by connecting at-risk young people with resources, housing navigation, and case management before they experience homelessness.
• Help for Homeless Young Adults 18-24 Continuum of shelter, housing, resource center, case management, and street outreach services for homeless young adults ages 18-24 working toward self-sufficiency.
• Lighthouse Clinic Integrated medical and wellness clinic providing expert, convenient, and holistic care to young people in Lighthouse programs.
• OhioRISE Care Management Medicaid care management service under the Ohio Department of Medicaid's OhioRISE program (Resilience through Integrated Systems and Excellence), coordinating comprehensive behavioral health care for youth with significant behavioral health needs.
• Outpatient Mental Health Services Individual therapy, family therapy, intensive home-based therapy, substance use treatment, case management, psychiatric services, and school-based mental health services for children, youth, and families.
• Residential Treatment Services Residential treatment centers providing safe, therapeutic programming for youth, including Lighthouse Youth Center at Paint Creek (boys), New Beginnings (girls), and the Youth Development Center (boys) with counseling, life skills, and educational support.
• Resources for LGBTQ+ Youth Support services and targeted resources addressing the specific needs of LGBTQ+ youth, including those experiencing homelessness or family rejection.
• Safe Shelter for Youth 10-17 (Mecum House) 24/7 emergency shelter at 2522 Highland Avenue, Cincinnati for youth ages 10-17, providing prevention, crisis intervention, and long-term service support for youth and families.
• Lighthouse Youth Center at Paint Creek Residential treatment program for boys with behavioral and emotional challenges on a 35-acre campus featuring residential halls, Paint Creek Academy charter school, greenhouses, gymnasium, and sports facilities.
• New Beginnings Residential treatment program for girls who have experienced trauma from neglect and abuse, providing therapy, life skills training, and support for developing healthy coping strategies.
• Youth Development Center (YDC) Residential program for boys working to overcome serious emotional and behavioral problems, providing therapy, life skills, educational support, and therapeutic programming.
• Lighthouse Sheakley Center for Youth Emergency and transitional shelter and resource center for homeless young adults ages 18-24, providing case management, life skills training, and support for achieving self-sufficiency.
• Resource Center Safe daytime drop-in space within the Lighthouse Sheakley Center for Youth providing food, clothing, showers, laundry, computers, and case management coordination for homeless young adults.
• Street Outreach Team Mobile outreach team that searches streets, homeless camps, and abandoned buildings to find homeless youth and connect them with survival supplies, case management, and shelter services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves 4,000 children, youth and families each year
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• OhioRISE (Ohio Department of Medicaid)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLighthouse Youth & Family Services is one of 18 care management entities (CMEs) partnering with OhioRISE, a Medicaid program designed to help young people with significant behavioral health issues. The partnership serves OhioRISE members in western Hamilton County, connecting them with comprehensive behavioral health care.
• Cincinnati Area SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool-based mental health services provided at Dater High School, Western Hills University High School, Dr. O'dell Owens Center for Learning, Midway Elementary, Stewart Elementary, Lincoln Heights Elementary, Mt. Auburn Preparatory Academy, and Riverside Preparatory Academy. Staff work with school personnel to identify students with mental health needs and link them to services.
• Hamilton County Juvenile CourtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLighthouse provides all Hamilton County Community Juvenile Justice services within the community, including Alternative Placement Treatment, Functional Family Therapy, Individualized Docket Services, and Predisposition Diversion Docket. The Hamilton County Juvenile Court refers all clients.
• HORANminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDiamond sponsor for Beacon of Light Humanitarian Awards.
• Fifth Third BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGold sponsor for Beacon of Light Humanitarian Awards.
• PNC BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGold sponsor for Beacon of Light Humanitarian Awards.
• Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical CenterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver sponsor for Beacon of Light Humanitarian Awards.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Boys Town: National nonprofit providing residential youth treatment, foster care, and behavioral health services. Highly comparable to Lighthouse's residential treatment centers, foster care, and outpatient mental health offerings.
• Pressley Ridge: Nonprofit offering foster care, residential treatment, school-based services, and mental health programs for at-risk youth across multiple states. Closely aligned with Lighthouse's continuum-of-care model.
• KVC Health Systems: Multi-state nonprofit providing foster care, behavioral health, and residential services to children and families. Comparable in service mix, particularly around foster placement and community-based mental health.
• The Village Network: Ohio-based nonprofit operating residential treatment, behavioral health, and foster care programs for youth. Direct regional peer given overlapping programs, geography, and Ohio Medicaid contracts.
• The Buckeye Ranch: Central Ohio nonprofit delivering residential treatment, behavioral health, and foster care services for youth with serious emotional and behavioral challenges. Directly comparable residential and community-based service profile.
• NewPath Child & Family Services: Ohio-based nonprofit providing behavioral health, foster care, residential, and community-based services to at-risk youth and families. Overlaps with Lighthouse on Medicaid-funded behavioral health and foster care.
• St. Joseph Children's Home: Kentucky-based nonprofit providing residential treatment, foster care, and trauma-informed services for at-risk children and adolescents, including residential group care similar to Lighthouse's Paint Creek and New Beginnings programs.

Regional players

• Talbert House: Greater Cincinnati-based nonprofit providing behavioral health, juvenile justice, and social services across Ohio. Comparable service portfolio but broader adult-focused offerings; competes locally for county contracts.

Broad incumbents

• Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center: Large pediatric academic health system offering behavioral health and adolescent medicine services overlapping Lighthouse's outpatient mental health and Lighthouse Clinic programs, plus an existing sponsorship relationship.

Others

• Southwestern Ohio Council for Families and Children: Regional council coordinating child-welfare, foster care, and family services across southwestern Ohio. Adjacent ecosystem participant that refers clients to and collaborates with direct service providers like Lighthouse.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LighthouseYFS
• Facebookfacebook.com/LighthouseYFS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lighthouseyouth

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lighthouse Youth & Family Services