FosterAdopt Connect transitions youth center to year-round shelter

Foster Adopt Connect Inc., dba FosterAdopt Connect, has transitioned its downtown YouthConnect Center into a year-round shelter for people ages 13-18.

The overnight housing component of the YouthConnect Center, 425 W. McDaniel St., Ste. 160, previously operated as a crisis cold-weather shelter during the winter months, said Erin Washburn, senior director of youth housing for FosterAdopt Connect who leads the YCC.

"We spent about $12,000 to upgrade the youth center to make this occupancy code change happen," Washburn said, noting grants and private fundraising dollars were utilized.

Eight beds are available, Washburn said, and FosterAdopt Connect has hired two employees, with another hire planned, for the overnight shelter. Staffing is paid through U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funding, she said.

The YCC in 2023 served 450 youth, providing more than 5,600 emergency services, such as food, shelter and laundry, according to a news release. Washburn said five employees assist the YCC.

The YCC opened in late 2022 in College Station, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting.