TYFS has been serving the valley for 45 years offering services that directly and positively change the trajectory of suffering children and families.

Over the years, TYFS facilities have aged and need upgrading. Additionally, in recent years, best practices for housing troubled youth have advanced significantly to ensure child safety. Hirschfield Center for Children, Van Vleck Group Home, and Red Top Meadows are known throughout the community and state for their comprehensive programing to heal cycles of abuse, neglect, behavioral, emotional, and mental health issues. 

This funding — Matched 5:1 with $10 million in private philanthropic contributions — will facilitate much-needed upgrades that will not only make therapeutic spaces significantly safer for both students and staff, but will also rejuvenate spaces to maximize the impact of time spent within TYFS programming. 

The Hirschfield Center for Children, originally constructed in 2002, includes facilities for forensic interviews, family advocacy and therapy, and the Court Diversion Program. The planned remodel will add a welcome and waiting area, staff offices, a board room, and student study area. Ultimately, this will make the space more efficient and more reflective of the accredited high-quality services TYFS offers.

The Van Vleck House is a residential facility for young adults. Currently, the structure — which was built in 1967 and last remodeled in the mid-1980s — is far below the industry standards for safe and therapeutic spaces of this type. The renovation will include state-of-the-art safety features, including a safe space for youth at risk of self-harm, a community room, 7 double-occupancy bedrooms, improved kitchen facility, staff offices and respite space, and a communal multi-use room. Van Vleck House will offer the ideal balance of structure, safety, and warmth — a framework fundamental to healing.

Moreover, the reinvigoration of these spaces will decrease our organization’s carbon footprint through carefully-considered energy efficiency options to integrate into construction programming, fuel efficient or electric vehicle consideration, expanded recycling programs, and the utilization of carbon-sensitive materials during each phase. 

TYFS’ SPET ballot item is a request for $2 million — the most conservative proposition on the 2022 ballot, and a mere 8.3% of the largest proposition and 0.12% of the overall proposed SPET budget of $167,000,000. 

The SPET funds will be matched by an additional $3 million in public funding and $10 million in privately raised funds to complete the entire scope of work. To date we have $6 million in private funds committed and have an application for ARPA Health and Human Service Infrastructure funds submitted and being reviewed by the State Lands and Investment Board. The intent of the SPET is to continue with the public-private partnership to ensure vulnerable populations of our community are safe.

Towns and Counties in Wyoming are charged with “protecting the health, safety and welfare of our community.” As such, Wyoming and therefore Towns and Counties engage in public-private partnerships to provide services that government often provides in other states such as Group Homes or Crisis Shelters. Without our partnership, the Town and County would be facing purchasing, operating, and building programming to meet the needs that TYFS is currently meeting to protect the health, safety and welfare of our community based on state statute.