Following college at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, John William Staley became employed with Mecklenburg County (NC) Mental Health in their Specialized Youth Services division, as a Behavior Modification Technician working in their Cheviot Group Home facility.
The Specialized Youth Services (SYS) were created as a result of legal action that mandated a special class of services known at the time as the ‘Willie M. program’. This program addressed violent and destructive individuals who were deemed ‘at risk’ and had previously fallen between the cracks of traditional human services.
Being a brand-new program, the prototype was taken from a local one administered by Lutheran Family Services (LFS). Dr. Daphne Timmons became the Director of SYS and did a fantastic job. She was widely respected and loved by the workforce under her.
Cheviot Group Home was established and the Policy and Procedures were set up and written largely by Mr. Ed Garrison (who brought his experience forward in the daily operations aspect of running Group Homes), Dina ( ), and John Staley (who contributed his knowledge of Social Deviance and Delinquency; Race and Ethnic Relations, and Stratigraphy, from his academic studies in Social Theory).