The merger of two of Burien's biggest nonprofits on Nov. 1 appeared to be a signal that the continuing economic downturn had taken its toll on human services in the Highline area.

But officials insist that the merger of Ruth Dykeman Children's Center into the Navos mental health organization does not mean Dykeman, located on the shores of Lake Burien since 1931, is going away.

In fact, the merger will allow more funds to go directly to services for clients in need and less on administration, according to Dr. David Johnson, Navos CEO.

"The joining of Navos and Ruth Dykeman Children's Center should be seen as the launch of growth for both organizations instead of the diminishment of RDCC services," Johnson declared. "To the community at large, there will be few apparent differences."

Added Johnson, "There are always benefits through economies of scale, and these are even more important in challenging economic times,

"The joining of Ruth Dykeman Children's Center with Navos results in the elimination of duplicate roles: one CEO instead of two, one COO, one Human Resources Department, a single Information Services Department, a development department and so on."

Johnson said, "The acquisition of RDCC by Navos will not diminish the services provided at the RDCC campus. Indeed we all seek to strengthen and grow the RDCC campus to continue to be a center of excellence in the care of vulnerable children."

Dykeman's outpatient counseling services, largely funded through a subcontract with Navos for 15 years, will continue, Johnson reported.

The center's youth and family services mental health and alcohol and other drugs program will also go on, he said.

"Their work will continue, stabilized by the size and breadth of Navos' Youth and Family Services programs, and will continue to provide an amazing spectrum of specialized services: a gem that is now part of the larger family of Navos operations," Johnson declared.

Some administrative space at the center's Lake Burien campus will now be used for additional counseling offices in order to serve more clients.

Just a mile north of the children's center campus, Navos is completing construction of a new outpatient services campus. In April, the Burien Child and Family program staff is slated to move into the first floor of the three-story building. The added space will allow Navos to serve more clients.

The Dykeman center has been offering services for 88 years. In 1921, Judge King Dykeman observed that many of the young women he saw in court needed support outside the home but there were no appropriate services for them.

In response to the problem, Judge Dykeman founded Ruth School for Girls, originally in the Ravenna district of north Seattle.

In 1931, the agency moved to the 8-1/2 acre campus on the shores of Lake Burien. Dykeman expanded in 1990 when Highline Youth and Family Services merged with it.

Center officials undertook capital campaigns in 1995 and 2001 to add the Cedar and Madrona buildings.

The Cedar building housed the adolescent girls residential treatment program until 2009 when the center began using it for assessment treatments for children. The Madrona building houses the center's children's program on campus.

Dykeman has also petitioned the city of Burien to rezone approximately two acres of its property for potential residential development.

About an acre bordering 10th Avenue South and Saint Elizabeth's Episcopal Church would be designated for condos or apartments. An acre along Lake Burien would be rezoned for single-family homes.

Center board members said the action was a way to plan for the future and there are no current plans to sell the property.