Future Youth Development Campuses

The DCS Real Estate Initiative includes three new residential buildings across two Youth Development Campuses in Nashville and Somerville.While the buildings will provide different levels of supervision and security, they are being designed around the same core principles: safety, rehabilitation, education, treatment, and positive youth development.

Campus locations

The John S. Wilder Youth Development Campus in Somerville will include both a staff-secure residential building and an enhanced-security residential building.

The Woodland Hills Youth Development Campus in Nashville will include a staff-secure residential building.

Both campuses will include residential settings designed to provide the level of supervision and physical security appropriate for the youth served.

The Youth Development Campuses are being designed as trauma-informed, rehabilitative environments where youth can safely participate in treatment, education, and structured programming.

Classrooms, clinical areas, recreational spaces, and shared living areas will be integrated throughout each campus. These spaces will support individualized services, academic instruction, behavioral health treatment, life-skills development, and activities that help prepare youth for a successful return to their families and communities.

The campuses will also include outdoor courtyards and recreational areas that provide youth with safe access to fresh air, exercise, and structured activities.

The project uses a prototypical design approach, meaning the buildings will follow a consistent model while still allowing each campus to meet its specific operational needs.

The residential buildings are also being designed with the ability to expand as future capacity needs change.

This flexibility will help DCS respond to changing needs while maintaining safe, appropriate, and clinically supportive environments for youth.