North Texas Youth Connection’s new Transitional Living Program will hold a chamber ribbon cutting on Thursday, January 29 at 11:30 a.m., followed by an open house until 1:30 p.m. This new program, which has been in the works for many years, is designed to reduce homelessness in Texoma.
A local family donated the use of a house at 1817 N. Highland in Sherman, which is where the open house will be held. Groups of community supporters and volunteers have ripped out rugs and refinished floors, repainted walls, and local businesses and organizations have adopted rooms to provide furnishings and décor.
This home will accommodate up to four homeless young adults between the ages of 18 and 21 who will have staff supervision 24-hours a day. The shelter will provide residents a place to live for up to 21 months, clothes, meals, transportation to school and work, and helps them transition to adulthood by learning to become self-sufficient.
NTYC Executive Director Bettye Finnell says although it may not look like it, there is a homeless problem in the area. "When you come to Sherman and Denison, you won't see kids standing out in corners, but we know they're here. We're starting to see it more at Grayson County College, at Workforce Solutions, and even at the local high schools. These young adults are trying to finish school or get their GED and find jobs, but they don't always have a place to sleep." Many of these young adults have transitioned out of foster care or even NTYC’s own emergency youth shelter and have no place to go.
In exchange for shelter, food, round-the-clock supervision and ongoing Case Management, the residents will be expected to attend school and/or maintain employment while attending various life-skills classes so that they can learn to be self-sufficient. Once they move into their own permanent housing, they will receive a year of follow-up care to offered continued support and access to resources. “The goal of this program is really to break the cycle of homelessness,” said Finnell. “By teaching them how to be self-sufficient adults, our hope is that our residents will never be homeless again. This benefits not only these individual young adults who are participating in our program, but everyone in the community in the long run.”
The costs associated with providing not only housing but the extensive case management needs for four residents plus additional participants receiving follow-up care makes community support of this program critical. NTYC received a five-year government grant, beginning in October 2008, from the Administration for Children and Families through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which will cover many of the costs associated with the program, including such things as staff coverage, utilities, groceries, and other necessities. However, the grant carries a matching cash requirement that will still need to be raised from the local community. “We may have our doors open, primarily thanks to the generosity of the family that is allowing us to use this house, and we have funding to provide some of the very basic necessities required for these young adults, but our work is far from done,” said Finnell. “We will still need to raise money locally to insure that we meet the requirements of this federal funding. We will also need continued support of volunteers who might want to teach some of the lifeskills classes, mentor the youth, or even provide for other ongoing needs, and potential employers that are willing to hire these youth. You always hear that it takes a community to raise a child … and it takes the generous support of our community, which we are very thankful for, to help these youth. We cannot describe the amount of outpouring of help we have received from the community and how thankful we are for it – without that support, this would not have been possible.”
About North Texas Youth Connection
North Texas Youth Connection was founded in 1979 (under the name Grayson County Juvenile Alternatives) to address the needs of runaway and homeless youth. Services have expanded and modified to keep up with the ever-changing needs of youth and families, including an emergency shelter for homeless youth ages 10-17, free crisis intervention counseling for youth ages 0-17 and their family, community prevention programs and the new Transitional Living Program for youth ages 18-21. Services cover ten counties in North Texas. For more information about the agency or any of its programs, call (903) 893-4717, the 24-hour crisis hotline at 1-800-568-7776, or visit the website at www.ntxyouthconnection.org.
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