Lincoln celebrated the grand opening of the SquareOne Youth and Family Crisis Center on Monday, marking the culmination of nearly a decade of planning and collaboration among local leaders. The facility, located at 220 S. 17th Street in downtown Lincoln, began welcoming families on Tuesday, October 20, and will operate around the clock to provide behavioral health services for young people ages 19 and under and their families.
Why the center matters
For many families, finding timely mental‑health help has been a persistent challenge. “The number of youths experiencing behavioral health crisis in our community continues to grow, and access to mental‑health services is significantly diminished,” said Christa Yoakum, chair of the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners. SquareOne is designed to fill that gap by offering a centralized, welcoming space where families can receive immediate assistance.
Services offered
The center provides a range of services, including mental‑health screenings, crisis therapy, short‑term stabilization, safety planning, and help connecting families with longer‑term behavioral health resources. It also offers temporary mental‑health respite care for young people who need additional support during a crisis. “When a family walks through these doors, they enter a space designed to heal and not overwhelm,” said Patrick Kreifels, regional administrator for Region 5 Systems.
Community partnership
SquareOne is a partnership among Lancaster County, Region 5 Systems, the City of Lincoln and community organizations such as CenterPointe and Family Service Lincoln. While CenterPointe has provided behavioral health crisis services through its Campus for Health and WellBeing since July 2024, the new downtown facility consolidates those services in a dedicated building.
County Attorney Patrick Condon noted that the community has recognized the need for a facility offering immediate crisis stabilization for more than a decade. “For over 10 years now our community recognized a major gap existed in the ability to respond to youths in crisis, a facility with open beds that could provide immediate de‑escalation and stabilization,” he said.
Youth voice in design
Members of the Youth Advisory Council helped shape the center’s design, artwork and messaging, ensuring the environment feels welcoming and safe for young people seeking help. The center will serve Lancaster County and 15 other southeast Nebraska counties, operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
How to access help
Families and youth in need can contact the SquareOne Crisis Line at 402‑899‑8608 for immediate assistance or to learn more about the services available.
The opening of SquareOne reflects a growing commitment in Lincoln and the surrounding region to address mental‑health challenges head‑on, offering families a vital resource before situations escalate to emergency rooms or law‑enforcement involvement.
Original reporting: KLKN-TV – News, Weather and Sports for Lincoln, Nebraska — read the source article.
