Capital City Youth Services Inc. (CCYS) broke ground for its new Transitional Living Center in January and is set to open at the end of June.
This new center will offer young adults 16-19 an 18-month residential facility. The adolescents that will reside in the living center are homeless, unaccounted for or have little to no stability in their lives.
Melanie Carty, the outreach and development director at Capital City Youth Services, said this age group needs help and is going unnoticed.
“Every year at CCYS we see youth aging out of available programs and ending up on their own long before they have the skills to be successful as an adult,” Carty said.
Carty also believes that many youth end up on the streets partly due to the lack of resources currently available.
“This program will help to fill that gap in services so that more young people in need will have resources available to help them find their way successfully into an adult world,” she said.
Nish Kanagaraja, a Tallahassee resident and manager of coming Muscle Maker Grill, said having this new facility in town will definitely be a benefit. He said the fact that these young adults will have the opportunity to learn is really the big picture.
“Education is the best prevention,” Kanagaraja said. “That’s really what it boils down to. It will keep them challenged and learning and out of crime.”
The Transitional Living Center will have a total of six bedrooms that can hold up to 12 people, but it will be much more than just a roof over their heads.
Kevin Priest, the president and CEO of Capital City Youth Services, said the company’s main goal is to make sure youth come out of the program with a plan for their futures.
“Our goal is to make them employable,” Priest said. “Something to allow them to go out in the community and be successful.”
The youth will be selected for the Transitional Living Center on an individual basis. Priest said there are a number of youth in the Tallahassee community that are unaccounted for by children’s agencies.
“There are kids we serve in our shelter now and the dynamics of their family life would not be healthy for the child to return there,” Priest said. “The center would help teach these young adults how to transition their life from teen years into an independent and successful adult life.”
The living center will have a 24-hour staff. Priest mentioned that much of the basic knowledge adolescents should have come from their parents or guardians, but these youth are lacking it. Many different skills will be taught at the center, including cooking lessons and budgeting money.
“Ultimately, we’re looking to give these kids a number of opportunities they wouldn’t have otherwise had and try and get them going down the right path,” Priest said. Capital City Youth Services Inc. (CCYS) broke ground for its new Transitional Living Center in January and is set to open at the end of June.
This new center will offer young adults 16-19 an 18-month residential facility. The adolescents that will reside in the living center are homeless, unaccounted for or have little to no stability in their lives.
Melanie Carty, the outreach and development director at Capital City Youth Services, said this age group needs help and is going unnoticed.
“Every year at CCYS we see youth aging out of available programs and ending up on their own long before they have the skills to be successful as an adult,” Carty said.
Carty also believes that many youth end up on the streets partly due to the lack of resources currently available.
“This program will help to fill that gap in services so that more young people in need will have resources available to help them find their way successfully into an adult world,” she said.
Nish Kanagaraja, a Tallahassee resident and manager of coming Muscle Maker Grill, said having this new facility in town will definitely be a benefit. He said the fact that these young adults will have the opportunity to learn is really the big picture.
“Education is the best prevention,” Kanagaraja said. “That’s really what it boils down to. It will keep them challenged and learning and out of crime.”
The Transitional Living Center will have a total of six bedrooms that can hold up to 12 people, but it will be much more than just a roof over their heads.
Kevin Priest, the president and CEO of Capital City Youth Services, said the company’s main goal is to make sure youth come out of the program with a plan for their futures.
“Our goal is to make them employable,” Priest said. “Something to allow them to go out in the community and be successful.”
The youth will be selected for the Transitional Living Center on an individual basis. Priest said there are a number of youth in the Tallahassee community that are unaccounted for by children’s agencies.
“There are kids we serve in our shelter now and the dynamics of their family life would not be healthy for the child to return there,” Priest said. “The center would help teach these young adults how to transition their life from teen years into an independent and successful adult life.”
The living center will have a 24-hour staff. Priest mentioned that much of the basic knowledge adolescents should have come from their parents or guardians, but these youth are lacking it. Many different skills will be taught at the center, including cooking lessons and budgeting money.
“Ultimately, we’re looking to give these kids a number of opportunities they wouldn’t have otherwise had and try and get them going down the right path,” Priest said. Capital City Youth Services Inc. (CCYS) broke ground for its new Transitional Living Center in January and is set to open at the end of June.
This new center will offer young adults 16-19 an 18-month residential facility. The adolescents that will reside in the living center are homeless, unaccounted for or have little to no stability in their lives.
Melanie Carty, the outreach and development director at Capital City Youth Services, said this age group needs help and is going unnoticed.
“Every year at CCYS we see youth aging out of available programs and ending up on their own long before they have the skills to be successful as an adult,” Carty said.
Carty also believes that many youth end up on the streets partly due to the lack of resources currently available.
“This program will help to fill that gap in services so that more young people in need will have resources available to help them find their way successfully into an adult world,” she said.
Nish Kanagaraja, a Tallahassee resident and manager of coming Muscle Maker Grill, said having this new facility in town will definitely be a benefit. He said the fact that these young adults will have the opportunity to learn is really the big picture.
“Education is the best prevention,” Kanagaraja said. “That’s really what it boils down to. It will keep them challenged and learning and out of crime.”
The Transitional Living Center will have a total of six bedrooms that can hold up to 12 people, but it will be much more than just a roof over their heads.
Kevin Priest, the president and CEO of Capital City Youth Services, said the company’s main goal is to make sure youth come out of the program with a plan for their futures.
“Our goal is to make them employable,” Priest said. “Something to allow them to go out in the community and be successful.”
The youth will be selected for the Transitional Living Center on an individual basis. Priest said there are a number of youth in the Tallahassee community that are unaccounted for by children’s agencies.
“There are kids we serve in our shelter now and the dynamics of their family life would not be healthy for the child to return there,” Priest said. “The center would help teach these young adults how to transition their life from teen years into an independent and successful adult life.”
The living center will have a 24-hour staff. Priest mentioned that much of the basic knowledge adolescents should have come from their parents or guardians, but these youth are lacking it. Many different skills will be taught at the center, including cooking lessons and budgeting money.
“Ultimately, we’re looking to give these kids a number of opportunities they wouldn’t have otherwise had and try and get them going down the right path,” Priest said.