CONCERN for Kids is a nonprofit organization located in Coatesville, PA, dedicated to providing child welfare, juvenile justice, and behavioral health services to children and their families. CONCERN initially engaged Watchdog to support the development of a facility for a new Supportive Independent Living Program, which is intended to house boys, ages 16-22, who will be aging out of the foster care system and transitioning to independent living.

The original plan for the facility was to build a prefabricated housing unit for 5-6 independent living residents. Our team discovered that the prefabricated housing was going to be more challenging than CONCERN had anticipated, exceeding both the organization’s budget and schedule.

As our team assisted the organization in looking for alternatives, Watchdog discovered that CONCERN would greatly benefit from the development of a master plan to determine exactly where this new facility would be built on its existing campus, while also considering what site improvements would be needed in the future.

While CONCERN recognized the need for, and value of, a master planning study, they had not planned for this additional scope of work. So, our team procured an architecture firm, Moto designshop, who generously agreed to provide pro bono services for the master plan work which has included getting input from the boys living on the campus, the staff, and leadership team. Moto has provided multiple options for locating the SILP housing – both prefabricated single-family homes and tiny homes, a potentially less costly alternative to the larger prefabricated homes. All options are designed to ensure that teenagers can live independently on the Coatesville campus, while continuing to benefit from the support of the CONCERN staff.