The HAY Center

The HAY (Houston Alumni and Youth) Center, a program of Harris County Protective Services for Children and Adults, was founded in 2005 to be a one-stop support service and resource center for current and former foster youth transitioning out of the foster care system and into adulthood. We are a youth driven, mission based program supported by the HAY Center Foundation and operating as a public/private partnership.

Each year, the HAY Center works with more than 1200 youth between the ages of 14 – 26 years old; providing services and programming in the areas of life skills training, transitional case management, education, employment, mental health resources, mentorship, housing options and youth engagement workshops. Our programing addresses the unique needs of youth exiting the foster care system. Our youth, who have already suffered the trauma of abuse and neglect, separation from family and growing up in the CPS system, must deal with navigating adulthood at the age of 18 with little in the way of support. The HAY Center, our volunteers and community sponsors step in to provide the understanding, guidance, and encouragement all young adults need when transitioning to adulthood.