Beaumont Leaders Are Proposing a Campus to Catch Kids Before They Fall Into the System.

If you have been worried about what is happening with young people in Beaumont, you are not alone. And you are not the only one doing something about it.

A coalition of community leaders, educators, mental health professionals, and nonprofits has put forward a proposal for the SETX Youth Support Services Campus, a centralized Beaumont facility that would intervene with at-risk youth before they enter the juvenile justice system. The anchor organization, Jefferson County reVision, has already helped redirect hundreds of young people in nearly three years of operation. The financial case is compelling: housing a juvenile in detention costs Jefferson County approximately $350,000 to $400,000 per year. Treatment and prevention services on a campus like this are estimated at $5,000 to $15,000 annually. Commissioners heard the proposal in a recent workshop but took no action. The next discussion is expected within the month. This one is worth watching.