Good Samaritan secures $635K in funding for new resource center

Good Samaritan Boys Ranch has secured state funding for a planned resource center in Springfield.

The state budget signed by Gov. Mike Parson late last month includes a $635,000 appropriation for the Good Samaritan Boys Ranch project, according to a news release from the nonprofit. The facility would be built on a vacant lot at 504 E. Norton Road, next to Good Samaritan’s Footsteps Transitional Living program, said Scotty Brown, marketing and communications specialist for the nonprofit.

The $1.6 million project calls on a resource center for youth aging out of foster care. The 5,000-square-foot project is designed with office and warehouse space where those youth can access furniture, life skills training and relational support as they move out on their own.

The release cited studies that show 31%-46% of youth aging out of foster care experience homelessness within five years.

"Providing support like this resource center is vital in breaking the cycle of trauma and instability faced by many former foster youth," said Casey Wray, president and CEO of Good Samaritan, in the release. "Our goal is to empower these individuals with the tools they need to thrive independently so they can avoid falling through the cracks."

Additionally, the construction of the resource center would free up space for Good Samaritan's female group home program, officials say.

Including the state funding, Good Samaritan has raised $900,000 of the $1.6 million project cost, said Brown. Private donations are being sought for the remainder, Brown said.

Nabholz Construction Corp. is general contractor for the project designed by Kinetic Design and Development LLC, said Brown, noting construction has not yet begun.