At Lighthouse Youth & Family Services, ‘the light is always on’

The desire of African American volunteers with the Cincinnati Baptist Women’s Fellowship to fill a gap in services for young people led to the birth of Lighthouse Youth & Family Services. Over the past 55 years, Lighthouse grew from providing one service to about a dozen youth daily to a multi-service beacon of hope serving children, youth and families in Cincinnati and across Ohio. Approximately 450 young people sleep safely under a Lighthouse roof each night. It all began in 1969 when the group from the fellowship, led by Edythe Hyde and Ethel Lankford, discovered the need for aftercare for girls returning to the community from youth detention centers. Many of the girls had no real home. Determined to make a difference for them, the women founded New Life for Girls, known today as Lighthouse Youth & Family Services. The agency opened the first halfway house for girls in Ohio in 1971. Today, with headquarters at 401 E. McMillan St. in Walnut Hills, Lighthouse provides a wide range of services to meet the needs of youth ages 0-24 and their families. The organization has locations in Cincinnati, Dayton, Chillicothe and Bainbridge.& Mrs. Clarise White, one of the volunteers with the...