‘These Kids Don’t Just Walk Through’: Program Helps Lower Bucks County Youth

For over two decades, the Neighborhood First Program operated out of a modest site on Bath Road in Bristol Township.

The program has served as an anchor for young people navigating adolescence and its complex choices.

As demand grew across Lower Bucks County, the program outgrew its original Bucks County-owned building.

Last month, county officials, juvenile probation officers, supporters, and community leaders gathered to mark the opening of a new 2,300-square-foot modular facility to support the organization that is based next to Silver Lake Nature Center.

Neighborhood First was founded in 2001 by James Wells, a retired deputy director of the Bucks County Juvenile Detention Center.

Neighborhood First was built on a simple idea, Wells said: youth facing difficulties are best supported within their own communities.

“This program saves the county money because they were spending upwards of $300 per day. Every day, seven days a week for six months. That’s a lot of money, right?” Wells told LevittownNow.com. “If a kid steals a bicycle, we’re working with him. He’s staying in the community. You see him every day. These kids don’t just walk through. They’re assigned to the program. We’re talking to the family.”

The community-centered mindset has since touched thousands of local teens and families.

According to Neighborhood First Executive Director Walt Mims, the program mainly works with youth from six local school districts and several alternative and charter schools.

The program offers an evening routine centered on education, life skills, a safe environment, and positive reinforcement, Mims and Wells explained.

The need for expanded space at the Bucks County-owned site in Bristol Township became important as enrollment has climbed.

In 2014, 14 youth participated in the program.

By July 2026, Neighborhood First was working with 61 youth, having served 128 since the start of the year.

Rachael Neff, the director of human services for Bucks County, said space constraints in the original facility were directly impacting operations.

“Walt Mims was telling me about how they can bring back the birthday celebrations for families because there’s simply not enough room in the existing space to do it,” Neff said.

The new building features staff offices, an 800-square-foot classroom, open programming space, dedicated areas for educational advancement, a restroom and a break area. Site enhancements outside include an expanded parking lot, stormwater management infrastructure, a rain garden, LED perimeter lighting, updated landscaping, and more than 20 newly planted trees.

Bucks County Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia, a social worker, explained that the expanded center required navigating complex land development, zoning, and municipal approvals that took place over several years.

“Even just to wait from 2022 to 2026 to get this here, you’ve been very patient,” Ellis-Marseglia said to Mims during the ceremony. “Thanks for pushing us. We’re sorry about all the steps we had to go through, but it’s here for all of you now.”

“This is more than just providing a building,” said Bernard Griggs, the director of the Bucks County General Services Division. “It’s about putting county resources to work for our residents, giving organizations like Neighborhood First the space they need to continue their important mission.”

Over time, the demographic served by Neighborhood First has shifted.

Gary Bodenschatz, a Bucks County Children and Youth casework supervisor and primary county contact for the program, noted a trend toward serving younger participants.

“We’ve noticed in our society that younger kids are having many, many problems, and Walt has taken on a younger population of kids,” Bodenschatz said. “I remember back in the day, I used to have to beg Walt to take a 12-year-old, and now most of the cases are 12-year-olds and sometimes even younger.”

Rob Yokum, the director of Bucks County Children and Youth, pointed to the speed and depth of support the program delivers when referrals are made.

“We can refer a kid on a Monday, and by Wednesday the kid’s in the program,” Yokum said. “If we have a meeting a week later, they know everything about these kids. They have 60 kids in the program. They can tell you pretty much everything about them.”

During the ceremony, Yokum presented Mims and Neighborhood First with the John Thomas Bevivino Award, an annual honor bestowed by Bucks County Children and Youth to recognize exceptional dedication to youth and families.

For Mims, who succeeded Wells as executive director, the expansion marks a new chapter for the organization.

“Not only do I appreciate [Wells] laying the foundation and following through with the vision, but I appreciate the fact that he didn’t give up until it came to fruition,” Mims said.

“There was a need and a gap for this program, for these kids. Parents are trying to be great parents, but sometimes the kids need some support,” Mims added. “When a young person is left to their own devices, they don’t always make the best decisions. We’re here to fill that space in the evenings. Hopefully when we’re done, they go home, go to bed and call it a day.”

Funding for the estimated $1.4 million project was assembled through allocations from the American Rescue Plan Act and the Opioid Settlement Fund, county officials said.