After 45 years of service to Nebraska youth in need of out-of-home placement, the board of directors of the Nebraska Boys Ranch has decided to suspend services, which means the elimination of 14 staff positions.

Executive director Stan Bills says that this does NOT mean that Nebraska Boys Ranch, located 17 miles south of Alliance in Morrill County, is closing its doors, but will take some time to determine what services they will provide for youth and their families.

Bills says that over the past several months, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services has been negotiating with regional subcontractors who would coordinate in-home and out-of-home services. The winning bidder was announced in May, with a contract between them and HHS to be signed on June 1, 2009. However, as of July 15, 2009, that contract is yet to be signed, which leaves the Nebraska Boys Ranch not knowing exactly which services they will be able to provide.

Bills says that during this time, the primary activity will be to determine service and how the Nebraska Boys Ranch can continue to work in the child services area. He says the ranch will continue to work with the four boys remaining at the ranch, but those residents will be returning home or they will be moved to other residential facilities. Additionally, Bills says they will have to suspend services and that they can NOT keep people on the payroll while doing this.

And Bills says while the economy is playing a role in the ranch’s situation, it still boils down to a lack of referrals. Without referrals, funding for the Nebraska Boys Ranch disappears.

Since 1965, Nebraska Boys Ranch has provided service for about 900 youth.