(BEAUMONT, Texas) — Community members celebrated the opening of a support center May 14 that will serve children and young adults in or aging out of foster care. The FYI, or Fostering Youth Independence, Center was dedicated with nearly 100 celebrants attending and promises to provide foster children with what one planner calls a “one-stop shop” for work, education and living support.
The center, located in a frame house near the Lamar University and Lamar Institute of Technology campuses, is a partnership between Buckner Children and Family Services and the Texas Workforce Commission.
Greg Eubanks, team leader for Buckner in Southeast Texas, said the establishment of the FYI Center means older children in foster care or who have aged out of foster care “are never alone. We want our kids to never feel they are alone. This is a place where they will belong, and all they need to do is come here.”
Eubanks said the program offers participants can access services including educational tutoring, GED preparation, and aid with technical schools or colleges. In addition help to find employment, financial assistance, case management, counseling and mentor connection also will be available.
Beaumont City Council Member at Large Get Wright pointed to the community cooperation that went into the center’s opening. “All of the area business and neighborhoods are behind you,” she told listeners, adding, “This is a leg up, not a handout.”
TWC’s Shannon Ramsey said the FYI Center is the 11th of its type in Texas, with very few like them in the nation.
“Our three Texas Workforce Commissioners wanted to enhance and expand” the system of nine existing foster support centers in Texas, she said, identifying three new areas – Southeast Texas, Central Texas and El Paso as target areas. TWC provided a $300,000, two-year grant for Beaumont and chose Buckner to run the program based on its strong background in post-foster care through its Transitioning to Responsible Adult Independent Living (TRAIL) program.
“This is a place for them to come with whatever assistance they need,” Ramsey said, “a comprehensive stop after foster care that also will provide assessment and referral. This connects the child welfare system and the TWC system to enhance the kids’ experiences.”
Candice Holmes, senior program specialist for Transitioning Youth Services, said children who age out of foster care are at a fragile time in their lives, and the FYI Center will benefit the community as well as the kids.
“Without this service, many age out of care with no place to go and find themselves homeless and not seeking secondary education,” she explained. “This transition center will help reduce assistance from the public and ensure they become community assets – and our neighbors and our leaders.”
Matthew Strickland, 20, is currently in the TRAIL program. He said he will use the FYI Center to continue his education. Because it serves youth ages 16 through 25 – currently TRAIL services end at age 21, he’ll be able to access services longer by accessing the center.
“I will definitely use this place,” said Strickland, who is earning a sound technology degree from LIT and plans to attend mortuary school in Houston. “You can use it until you turn 26, and that gives me five more years.”
