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Harris County, TX, August 22, 2025, Judge Lina Hidalgo joined local officials to celebrate the opening of the new $41M Houston Alumni & Youth (HAY) Center Campus. The new campus, which is the only facility of its kind in the state, will provide wraparound services and housing for youth aging out of foster care. 

Harris County invested $32M into the new HAY Center campus through a mix of grant funding, ARPA funds and general funds. The city of Houston invested $5M and private philanthropists donated $4M to the project. 

“The HAY Center is such a special place. Being able to give at-risk kids housing stability gives them the freedom to pursue the future that they want, whether that’s school or working. I’m so proud today to be able to celebrate the great future that every level of government in our community is helping these young people build,” said Judge Lina Hidalgo. 

Every year, approximately 40 foster youth in the Harris County region – which includes Harris County as well as 12 other counties – are at risk of becoming homeless on their 18th birthday. Previously, the HAY Center was only capable of housing between 8-10 people each year. The new HAY Center campus can house 50 people  for several years at a time, which means it will be able to meet a huge portion of the need for former foster youth housing in our community. 

About the HAY Center:

The HAY Center is a public/private partnership and a program of Harris County Resources for Children and Adults that serves youth and young adults currently in or who have aged out of foster care in Harris County and the 12 surrounding counties. In 2015, the HAY Center Foundation, a 501c3 was formed to support the mission and work of The HAY Center.

Since 2005, The HAY Center has provided transition services to youth, ages 14 through 25, currently/formerly in foster care in Harris County and the surrounding area. For 20 years, thousands of youth and young adults have engaged in an array of wraparound services including life skills assessment and training, education, employment, housing, mental health, and mentoring. All services are led by youth voice and developed to meet their unique individual needs. 

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