As seen in Hardin County News
(BEAUMONT, Texas) — Buckner Children and Family Services will soon open a transition center that will provide a wide range of services for youth ages 16 to 25 who are transitioning out of foster care and those that were formerly in foster care to work towards independence and self-sufficiency.
"The F.Y.I. Center: Fostering Youth Independence", was the name receiving the most votes by current and former foster youth who plan to use the services the center will offer.
Located in Beaumont at 675 East Virginia, the FYI Center sits on the corner of Virginia Avenue and University Drive across from Lamar's tennis courts and dorms, and is within walking distance of the campuses of Lamar University and Lamar Institute of Technology in Beaumont.
It is also on the Beaumont Municipal Transit bus line.
A workday was scheduled for March 13 where excited foster care alumni on Spring Break painted walls, cleaned floors, and did a bit of housekeeping as they prepared for the center's grand opening, tentatively scheduled for April.
Services at the FYI Center will focus on education, employment, transportation, housing, mentoring, and financial assistance.
Officials will be actively recruiting mentors for young adults and are currently developing a collaboration of community agencies and groups to ensure that everyone is involved in helping the area youth to achieve successful self-sufficiency.
Collaboration between Child Protective Services, Buckner Children's Village, Buckner Foster Care, the Texas Workforce Power Zone, DFPS Region 5 PAL services, and Buckner TRAIL (Transitioning to Responsible Adult Independent Living) Program reflects the long-standing local commitment to and experience with helping youth transition out of foster care.
For more information or to find ways to get involved, call 409-866-0976.
