About United Community Services

We build the kind of home a child would draw.

Founded to fill the gap between overwhelmed group settings and unmatched foster placements, UCSI runs a licensed Sponsored Residential program for Virginia's youth ages 7 to 17.

Our mission
United Community Services, Inc. is dedicated to improving the lives of children and adolescents by providing compassionate, trauma-informed, and individualized behavioral health, residential, and supportive services. Through safe environments, positive relationships, and evidence-based practices, we empower youth to build resilience, achieve stability, and reach their fullest potential.
Our vision
Our vision is that every child and adolescent has access to the support, care, and opportunities needed to thrive emotionally, socially, academically, and within their communities. We strive to be a trusted leader in children's behavioral health and residential services, helping youth build brighter futures through healing, growth, and empowerment.
Our approach

Built Different, United by Care.

We place children and adolescents into carefully matched, professionally supported Sponsor Parent homes, so that healing happens inside real family life, not around it.

We serve youth whose treatment plan calls for a therapeutic residential environment: sibling groups being kept together, teenagers stepping down from higher-acuity settings, children waiting for reunification or a permanency plan, and adolescents preparing for independent living.

Every UCSI home is a family residence, licensed, inspected, and supported by a coordinator who knows the youth by name.

Sponsor parent helping with homework at the kitchen table
Our model

Sponsored Residential, explained.

This service model is often new to families and even to some referring workers. Here is what makes it distinct.

It is not foster care
Sponsor Parents are contracted providers licensed under DBHDS, not DSS-approved foster parents. The two systems are separate.
It is not a group home
Youth live inside a private family residence with the Sponsor Parent and their household, not in a facility with rotating shift staff.
It is therapeutic
Every placement is authorized against an Individualized Service Plan (ISP) with measurable behavioral, educational, and clinical goals.
It is supervised
A Sponsored Professional Coordinator visits weekly. A Risk Manager oversees safety, incident review, and quality improvement.
It is licensed
UCSI holds active DBHDS licensure and complies with Sponsored Residential regulations, human rights standards, and required reporting.
A note from leadership

"Every child deserves a family table."

United Community Services was built by professionals who spent years inside the youth-serving system watching capable kids struggle simply because no one had made a home ready for them.

We are here to be that home. Matched to their needs, trained for their behaviors, and staffed by adults who plan to still be there next month, next year, and the year after that.

The Leadership Team, United Community Services, Inc.

Our values

Five commitments we make to every youth in our care.

Safety first, always

Physical, emotional, and clinical. Every home is screened, inspected, and supported by a UCSI on-call phone line and coordinated care with the youth's community providers.

Family, not facility

We measure success in ordinary things: a shared dinner, an on-time bus, a good night's sleep, a birthday remembered.

Trauma-informed practice

Behavior is communication. Our training equips Sponsor Parents to respond, not react, and to hold high expectations with warmth.

Voice and dignity

Youth participate in their own service planning. Human rights are non-negotiable and monitored independently.

Cultural responsiveness

We match placements with attention to identity, faith, family of origin, and community ties whenever possible.

Continuous improvement

Every incident becomes a learning moment. Quarterly quality reviews. Annual re-training. No case is ever "closed" without reflection.

Licensing & compliance

Regulated, inspected, and transparent.

Licensing body
Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS)
Service category
Mental Health Sponsored Residential Services for Children and Adolescents
Regulatory framework
Compliant with Virginia's Rules and Regulations for Licensed Providers, human rights standards, and required incident reporting
Inspections
Announced and unannounced site visits by DBHDS. Right of entry preserved for licensing and human rights advocates at all times.
Reporting
Serious incidents reported to DBHDS, funding authority, and the youth's legal representative per required timelines.
Equal opportunity
Equal Opportunity Employer and provider. Services delivered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or family status.
Connect with our team

Want to talk with someone at UCSI?

Whether you're a family, a placing worker, a prospective Sponsor Parent, or a community partner. Reach out and we'll route you to the right person.