THE BASKET FUND
The Basket Fund intends to make the transition work.
Teens leave residential treatment having made real progress in their mental and behavioral health — yet much of that progress erodes within weeks. Not because treatment failed. Because the plan for the transition home did.
This gap between levels of care is where momentum gets lost.
THE CRISIS
of teens relapse within just 90 days of leaving residential treatment
Godley et al., J Consult Clin Psychol, 2014
ever successfully connect to any continuing care after discharge — most get nothing
Becker et al., PMC8591665, 2021
of parents feel unprepared when their teen comes home from residential treatment
Scharer & Jones, Issues Ment Health Nurs, 2020
of schools have any formal process for students returning from psychiatric treatment
Marraccini et al., PMC11104309, 2019
After all of the work and sacrifice for treatment, no family should have to worry about things unraveling at home. The Basket Fund's mission is to make sure they won't."
The Basket Fund is raising the standard for how families bring a teen home from treatment.
Donations fund the creation and free availability of an AI-powered platform that gives every teen in treatment a truly individualized transition plan — and gives every family tools to make it work at home.
ContributeWe are replacing templated discharge plans with real transition strategies families can live.
AI guides teens, parents, and clinicians through a structured planning process rooted in motivational interviewing and collaborative family problem-solving.
Parents access the parenting library, assessments, and transition planner through a dedicated family portal - adding vital input for the process.
Research shows teens engage more deeply and sustain gains longer when they help build the plan themselves. Trustyy is built around that principle.
The Trustyy Transition Planner is free — for every program, every therapist, every family. Non-negotiable. Forever.
We serve treatment professionals and the teens and families in their care:
Penny & Tim, proud parents of two wonderful children and founders of The Basket Fund.
Read Their StoryIt was a clear winter day, but I was driving in a fog—wrestling with how to help our struggling son. The decision in front of us felt impossible, and it had to be made that night.
With a few extra minutes before a meeting, I pulled into a Barnes & Noble. I picked up a book, opened to a random page, and read this:
“Read Exodus 2:1–10 and think of the purposes for your child’s life that might be accomplished by your letting go.”
I stood there and cried.
I shared it with my wife, and something stirred in her too—especially the phrase in the story of the baby Moses being sent to others who could save his life, “a papyrus basket coated in tar and pitch.” She couldn’t shake it. Later that night, around 2 a.m., what felt random began to crystallize. There was a quiet but unmistakable sense that we were being asked to let go—and trust.
Her finger hovered over the keyboard as she filled out the online application for a far away treatment program … then hit send. We hugged, sobbed, and never looked back.
Early the next morning, our son left for treatment. Three and a half months later, we were reunited. His smile was bright. His eyes were clear. And with his internal compass pointing true North, we headed home.
But that’s not the entire story.
When a young person returns from out-of-home treatment, it is often recommended that families enlist help with the transition home—to strengthen the environment, rally support, and ensure progress isn’t derailed by real-life challenges.
We were shocked. Wasn’t three and a half months enough? Now more intervention? More expense?
What we learned was profound. This is the pivotal stage—the “make it last” phase—where everything gets applied to real life. Our life.
We came to see aftercare as a kind of insurance. Failing to navigate the transition well could undo everything we had fought so hard to achieve.
This is where The Basket Fund was born.
Sometimes a family is just short of what they need—whether for treatment or for the transition home that makes it last.
The Basket Fund exists to help families carry treatment success home.
Tim and Penny
Founders, The Basket Fund
Testimonials
As our son’s return home approached, we were frightened of transitioning him without undoing all the hard work. We were more afraid of that than sending him away in the first place. The Basket Fund gave us opportunity of a lifetime and restored our hope. It made gave us the chance to further help our son, and continue our family's healing. It was an answer to our prayers."
We felt abandoned and alone, trying to manage our daughter’s return home through months of anxiety, worry, and fear. We wished we had someone to guide us through what came next. The Basket Fund lifted an enormous weight and felt like an invisible gift of grace. It allowed us to move forward with less fear—and finally feel hope again. Please know what a deep impact it has made on all our lives."
Watching the decline of our teen’s mental health has been one of the most painful experiences of our lives. We tried everything, but none of it felt like enough. The Basket Fund lifted a weight off our shoulders and helped us feel supported and understood. For the first time in a long time, we feel a sense of hope and relief. Thank you all for your generosity towards those of us who are still in the thick of it and looking for light wherever we may find it."
Our generous, family-focused Basket Fund donors accommodate stronger transitions, so the life-changing work of treatment lasts at home.
I'd Like to Help
The Basket Fund ensures families leave treatment with a clear, collaborative transition plan that protects the progress of treatment and helps parents sustain momentum at home.
The Basket Fund is a 501c3 organization. Any donation qualifies as a charitable deduction. Use one of the three methods below to deliver clarity and hope to families in need.