Lubbock, Texas – February 13, 2023 – Saint Francis Ministries will host a grand opening and dedication of its new residential treatment facility on March 3 in the former Buckner Children and Families Services’ FYI Center, at 125 Chicago Avenue. The new facility will provide clinical psychiatric care in a small group setting to children and youth in out-of-home care.
Based upon the QRTP model, Saint Francis Ministries Residential – Texas will make available an additional 21 beds for youth ages 13-18 in the Panhandle and will be the first of its kind in the Lone Star State. At present, there are only 35 residential beds available in Region 1, and none of them are QRTP.
Under the Family First Prevention Services Act, the QRTP (Qualified Residential Treatment Program) model is designed to serve youth with serious emotional or behavioral disturbances and disorders through trauma-informed, evidence-based treatment processes based on the results of formal assessments of the child’s needs.
The grand opening event will begin at 9 a.m. with VIP tours of the facility, followed by a ribbon cutting and formal dedication at 10 a.m. The public is invited to attend the main event, tour the facility, sample refreshments, and learn about the important work Saint Francis Ministries performs in service to children and families in Texas and beyond.
“The excitement is building at Residential Texas as we finalize preparations to admit our first youth and to celebrate this new opportunity to serve young people in need in the Texas Panhandle,” said Kristina Brown, executive director. “Our team has been working hard to create a program that will provide much-needed therapeutic services for youth in Region 1, and we’ve developed a milieu for them to grow towards their physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual goals. We can’t wait to see the impact on our youth, their families, and their futures.”
Saint Francis has served in Texas since 2017, beginning first as a foster care homes provider in Abilene, then becoming a Single Source Continuum Contractor (SSCC) in 2019. As a SSCC for the Panhandle, SFM serves 41 counties in West Texas by providing services to more than 1,600 children in the foster care system. The 77-year-old nonprofit currently provides foster care, case management, and resource connection services from offices in Amarillo and Lubbock.
About Saint Francis Ministries
Saint Francis Ministries work encompasses foster care, therapeutic foster care, adoption, family preservation/intensive in-home services, residential care, and community outreach services. Strongly rooted in the Episcopal tradition, SFM was founded by an Episcopal priest in 1945 in Ellsworth, Kansas. The organization now serves more than 11,000 individuals through child and family welfare services in Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Texas, and Arkansas. Additionally, Saint Francis provides supervised living and employment services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Mississippi. The organization is headquartered in Salina, Kansas. For more information, visit www.saintfrancisministries.org or call 800.423.1342.
In Texas, Saint Francis Ministries operates as the SSCC in Region 1, providing case management services. Saint Francis Residentials is a division of Saint Francis Ministries and separately provides the new residential services.
