Behavioral health needs do not always fit neatly into one system, one diagnosis, or one service. For individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), who also experience mental health needs, navigating support systems can be especially challenging. Families and caregivers may find themselves coordinating across providers, agencies, and care systems, often when needs have already escalated into a crisis.

To provide both crisis intervention and prevention services, through START Philadelphia, JEVS provides support that considers the whole person and the people who support them. Through its program expansion, START Philadelphia now works with individuals 6 and up who have IDD and mental health needs.

A Person-Centered Approach to Complex Needs

Since provider systems are often siloed, START facilitates collaboration: the program works with caregivers, providers, and other members of a person’s support team to identify strengths, address gaps, build skills, and develop a coordinated plan for preventing and responding to crisis.

That includes assessment, therapeutic intervention, coaching, clinical consultation, facilitated team meetings, and the development of a Cross-Systems Crisis Prevention and Intervention Plan—a living plan that can evolve as a person’s needs change.

This approach reflects an important reality of behavioral health: complex needs often require coordinated support.

For JEVS, that means looking beyond a single service to consider how behavioral health, intellectual and developmental disability services, families, caregivers, and community providers can work together more effectively.

Expanding JEVS’ Behavioral Health Reach

When START Philadelphia launched in February 2026, JEVS introduced the national START model to Philadelphia through a partnership with the NCSS, Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS), Community Behavioral Health (CBH), and the Pennsylvania Office of Developmental Programs (ODP), and the National Center for START Service (NCSS).

Then, in September 2026, START Philadelphia expanded services to be available for qualifying individuals ages 6 and older. Eligible participants must live in Philadelphia County and have a documented intellectual or developmental disability and co-existing mental or behavioral health needs. Services are provided at no cost to those who qualify.

Expanding access to children and youth is particularly important because complex behavioral health needs often begin prior to adulthood. Providing coordinated support from an earlier age can help families and support teams build strategies before challenges escalate.

This work is consistent with JEVS’ broader role as a provider of behavioral health and community-based services. From psychiatric rehabilitation and outpatient mental health services to peer and community living supports, JEVS brings together different areas of expertise to meet people where they are and help them gain independence and personal fulfilment.

START adds another program to JEVS behavioral health and home supports services, one that is designed specifically for individuals who experience complex intellectual/developmental and mental health needs.

Based on the National Center for START Services (NCSS) national model, START Philadelphia is an evidence-based crisis prevention and intervention model for individuals with IDD and mental health needs. START uses a person-centered, trauma-informed approach to strengthen support teams and prevent crises. The effect of the START service model on reducing crisis situations is evident. According to the NCSS, psychiatric hospitalizations, emergency department visits, and law enforcement encounters decrease between pre- and post-enrollment surveys (NCSS Emergency Service Utilization).

Learn more about START Philadelphia

Supporting individuals this way requires collaboration, specialized expertise, and a willingness to look at where existing systems can work better together. START Philadelphia offers this approach.

Through its work with individuals, families, caregivers, and providers, JEVS is helping to build a more coordinated response.

Learn more about START Philadelphia and find out which services may be available for you or someone you support.

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