Montgomery County Youth Services - our philanthropic alliance

MCYS SHELTER SERVICES

Montgomery County Youth Services (MCYS) is a not-for-profit United Way agency incorporated in 1979 to serve the needs of runaway, homeless and other at-risk youth.  MCYS operates three distinct programs, Youth and Family Services, Community Education and Outreach, and Shelter Services.  Shelter Services consists of the Fairway Home and the BridgeWay Youth Shelter.  All Shelter Services are located on the Maggert Campus in Conroe, Texas. 

The Fairway Home:

Fairway is a co-ed 8 bed facility offering an 18-month transitional living program for youth ages 16-22.  Fairway provides an alternative to the streets and the criminal justice system for “throwaway” youth.  The mission of the Fairway is to empower youth to build on their successes in order to gain the skills necessary to make healthy life choices.  Fairway hopes to accomplish this through helping youth to set goals, complete their education, obtain employment, save their earnings, and eventually move on to successful independent living. 

While in the home, all residents are required to participate in an educational program.  For those attending school, we encourage part-time employment, while those working on a GED or college program work full-time.  The residents save a portion of their earnings toward their move out and future independent living.  Fairway residents attend life skills classes for independent living skills training.  All residents have counseling services available to assist them with the issues that brought them to Fairway and to help them learn the skills they will need to be successful in their future.  In addition to individual counseling, all youth participate in a weekly group to discuss both house issues and interpersonal problems. Residents also participate in “random acts of kindness” throughout the community in order to give back to others who are less fortunate than themselves.  We encourage personal growth and independence through fostering self-esteem, integrity and respect for others.  Admission to this program requires an application process.  There are no emergency admissions to this program. 

BridgeWay Youth Shelter:

BridgeWay is a short-term shelter program for youth ages 10-17 who are in need of safety, security, support and structure.  Youth in the shelter can be in the custody of TDFPS, juvenile services, or private placements from the community.   The length of stay in the shelter will vary depending on the needs of the youth.  BridgeWay operates on a core set of beliefs that include providing an environment where the youth will feel safe and protected, treating the youth with dignity and respect, and providing positive adult role models that enable the youth to form close and lasting relationships with significant others that they can trust.  Youth attend public school in Willis Independent School District.  The shelter operates on a structured routine that includes opportunities for fun, recreation, leisure, quiet time, and group activities.  Admission to this program is conducted on an emergency basis by calling the shelter and requires no application process. 

Services for youth who are not in the custody of TDFPS are aimed at re-connecting these youth with their families.  These services are provided under the Basic Center Grant which is funded through the Federal Youth Services Bureau.  Services include crisis intervention that is available 24-hours/365 days per year to all runaway and family violence cases in Montgomery County.  Counselors meet with the family and youth to discuss the crisis, create a plan of action to alleviate family stress and tensions, and reunite the family.  When family reunification is not immediately possible, BridgeWay offers a short-term placement option.  This placement is a maximum of 14 days and enables the youth and their family to have a “cooling off” period before the youth returns home.  The focus during placement is to provide intensive intervention to the youth and his/her family in order to assist them in resolving the issues leading up to the crisis.  The primary goal is to reunify the family, strengthen family relationships and improve communication.  Admission to this program requires no application process and is done on an emergency basis. 

For our new members, here is a little history on how we have helped these facilities.  Over the past several years, our chapter has donated $1,000 per year to the Fairway Home, our charity of choice.  We donated $500 last August so needed school supplies could be purchased and then another $500 around Thanksgiving to cover some of the home's holiday expenses.  Near the end of last year, we needed to keep the cash in our general fund; but, we didn't want to abandon our charity.  So, we conducted a "needs drive" for the Fairway Home and BridgeWay Youth Shelter (a new emergency shelter that just started about a year and a half ago).  Many of our members participated in the drive and the young people and administrators at these two facilities appreciated it a lot!

Carolyn Pennell CPS/CAP, Community Involvement Chair
7/07