JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri officials are moving one of the state’s highest-security facilities for juvenile offenders out of ºüÀêÊÓƵ and into an existing compound of state-operated facilities in Bellefontaine Neighbors.
In an announcement Monday, Gov. Mike Parson’s administration said the Hogan Street Regional Youth Center will be shuttered after nearly 50 years amid concerns about escapes and general living conditions.
Although a timeline was not immediately available, the Missouri Department of Social Services will restart operations on a parcel of land within the current Missouri Department of Mental Health operation in north ºüÀêÊÓƵ County.
While operations of the two facilities will be separate, the joint use of land and maintenance facilities will allow the state to reduce costs and offer better living conditions for the youths.
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“A new facility will provide a much better space for staff and treatment of youth,†officials said in a joint statement.
The Bellefontaine Habilitation Center currently is a long-term care facility for individuals with intellectual disabilities on a 138-acre campus located south of Interstate 270.
The state is transitioning from the Hogan Street facility because the building needs more than $4 million in scheduled maintenance.
The search for a new facility began earlier this year when the Department of Social Services requested $7 million to find a new home for the facility, which is located in the former St. Liborius Catholic Church School in Old North ºüÀêÊÓƵ.
After that search began, the Post-Dispatch reported that the agency wasn’t meeting basic goals at Hogan Street as outlined in its mission of providing therapy for minors rather than punishment.
Residents said they hadn’t been outside in months, if not longer. Former employees, including one who was badly beaten, said the facility was out of control.
Hogan Street is supposed to operate with three groups of about 10 people living together in separate dorms. They are supposed to hold each other accountable with minimal assistance from encouraging staff. But Hogan Street operations were hit particularly hard by staff shortages during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Program operations fell to just one group, restricting the ability to move residents around if they needed to be separated.
In July, officials said hiring had improved enough to allow for two groups of residents to live at the facility.
The decision to partner with other state agencies came after the administration explored several potential sites.
Currently, the North County campus has 13 group homes in use out of a total of 24. The long-term care facilities support 84 individuals with an average age of 65.
The campus also houses an administrative building, a multipurpose building with a pool, gymnasium, classrooms, a food distribution center and other maintenance buildings.
The plan is to construct a new Youth Services Center that includes a main building with administrative offices, classrooms, a gymnasium, commercial kitchen and dining area.
There would be three dormitories with day rooms, sleeping areas, bathrooms, showers and laundry.
“The new facility will provide a much better space for treatment of youth, and for staff to feel more secure,†the joint statement noted.