You couldn’t pay most people to take a boy like Jon Williams into their homes.

At 16, the Cave Junction youth was already a criminal and a flight risk, hardly appealing to potential caregivers — at any price.

Still, Community Works hopes a little cash will translate into compassion.

The Medford social service agency is offering a $500 finder’s fee to anyone who recruits a successful foster parent into the agency’s Proctor Program, which provides paid homes for teenagers convicted of crimes.

The unusual move is aimed at increasing space to help delinquent youth turn their lives around, says Taher Kashuba, program coordinator. Right now, there are only two proctor homes in the region and a waiting list to get in.

Advertisement

"We haven’t found a new family in three years," she said. "We would be able to serve all these kids if we had a place for them."

But foster parent Liz Pyke knows from experience that it will take more than a $500 bonus — or even a monthly stipend of $1,200 per youth — to persuade people to shelter such kids.

"People are afraid of teenage boys," she said. "I think they’re afraid of being robbed or mistreated."

That’s too bad, said Pyke, who with her husband, Wads Pyke, has spent the past year caring for Williams and two other teenage criminals at their Talent home.

After 21 years as a foster parent, including five as a proctor parent, Pyke said she believes the rewards of the arrangement far outweigh the risks.

"We’ve learned something and gotten something from every one of those boys," said Pyke, who has cared for some two dozen teens in the proctor program.

Take Williams, for instance. Convicted of a sheaf of petty crimes two years ago, he fled from the J-Bar-J Boys Ranch in Bend, where he was sent for treatment. After hitchhiking around the country, he came home and reported himself to a probation officer.

"Honestly, I really enjoyed the travel and being on the run, but I wanted to try it without looking over my shoulder," Williams said. "It got to the point where I’d rather be in jail."

Instead, he landed in the Lithia Springs Program run by Community Works through a contract with the Oregon Youth Authority. Lithia Springs offers residential treatment for boys and girls ages about 14 to 18, plus proctor homes for up to six youths.

Services include drug and alcohol treatment, counseling, schooling and vocational training, all aimed at redirecting young people toward productive lives.

Grateful to be placed in the less-secure proctor setting, Williams brought what Pyke calls a "quirky" perspective to the home.

"He’s got a real interesting way of thinking," said Pyke, who added that Williams displayed a level of empathy and compassion not common in most proctor clients.

Like Williams, nearly all of the kids who come to Pyke’s home have histories of substance abuse, as well as criminal backgrounds. Most come from families where such abuse was common. Many have never lived in a stable home.

Pyke, an administrative assistant, and her husband, an elementary school janitor, figure it’s their calling to help kids overcome the effects of their histories.

The pair have a grown son of their own, but with the training and support offered by Community Works, Pyke said being a parent has become her profession.

"I tell the boys, ‘You have to listen to me; that’s my job,’" said Pyke, who receives about $3,400 a month to feed, clothe, house and care for three boys.

Sometimes, the job is hard. The Pykes must make sure the boys perform daily chores, live up to the treatment requirements of the Lithia Springs program and address everyone with respect.

The Pykes admit they’ve had boys steal from them, break into their homes, ignore their rules and run away.

Liz Pyke said she’s never been scared of any boy, but the couple know that some of the kids have the potential for violence.

Despite those drawbacks, the job is mostly a joy, said Liz Pyke. She particularly likes mealtimes.

"That’s my very favorite thing to do, is to look around and find my table full," she said.

Finding dedicated families like the Pykes is difficult, said Kashuba. The agency must weigh the pressing need for foster parents with screening and training to ensure the security of the clients.

"Of course we want a safe, structured home environment," she said.

For Williams, now 18, who graduated from the Lithia Springs program two weeks ago, the Pykes’ home was his last stop before independence. It was hard work changing his attitudes, beliefs and thinking patterns, he said. But his eyes sparkle when he describes his chance at a new life.

"I learned a lot about living on my own and surviving legally," he said.

Williams’ departure left an empty bed at the Pykes, but not for long. A 17-year-old boy was set to move in Wednesday.

Liz Pyke is happy to have him, but she’d be even more pleased to welcome another proctor family to the fold — and not just because of the $500 finder’s fee.

"I’ve had some strong incentive for years," she said. "It’s still been tough to find people to help care for these kids."

For more information about the Proctor Program, call 482-8906, Ext. 111.

Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail jaleccia@mailtribune.com