Southside expanding services, YSB needs new location

Southside Community Center is planning to expand the range of services offered to the local homeless population, but that expansion doesn’t come without a bit of heartache, as the changes will necessitate the Youth Services Bureau to move locations.

For 20 years, the Youth Service Bureau has called South Guadalupe Street home, alongside the Southside Community Center, which is a separate nonprofit that provides temporary housing, food and related services to those in need of assistance in the community.

Dedicated to empowering and promoting the healthy development of San Marcos’ youth, YSB has been in operation since 1975, offering afterschool and summer programs to young people ages 11-17.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was sent to YSB board members in June from Southside board president Todd Salmi, who stated that the space currently occupied by YSB is now needed to broaden the commitment of Southside to provide assistance for the homeless in the city.

“One of the things that we've done recently is we've moved Pfrom simply providing direct assistance to moving toward case management to help people, not just their immediate needs, but help them meet their needs in the longer term,” Salmi said. “We need some meeting space to meet with people on a regular basis.” According to the Comprehensive Homeless Needs Assessment conducted by Texas State University, as of 2019, 102 individuals were considered homeless in Hays County. In 2020-2021, 359 Texas State University students from that report were considered homeless.

Board members said YSB usually works with young people who are at a high-risk of dropping out of high school or who come from low-income families.

Salmi said the building on Guadalupe Street was erected about 50 years ago and is owned by United Women in Faith, an affiliate of the United Methodist Church.

Salmi is a pastor of the United Method Church and said over the last 10 years, Southside has provided YSB with over $100,000 in in-kind donations through various assistance efforts.

Salmi said that they have donated the space to the YSB in at least his time with the church and Southside has assisted with providing services such as bookkeeping for free.

While finding a new facility will certainly have its difficulties, there are also some positives to seeking a new location.

YSB Executive Director and board member Julie Hollar said the demand for services offered by Southside, in conjunction with traffic and construction, has made that area heavily congested, resulting in a decline of YSB participants.

“We just want a safe place where they are comfortable … and their parents feel OK picking them up or dropping them off,” Hollar said.

With an annual budget of $76,000, Hollar said YSB’s funding comes through city and county grants, donations and its biggest fundraising event, the Dam Chili Cook-Off in Martindale.

“It's a lot of the small businesses in town that support the chili cookoff,” Hollar said. “A lot of individuals in town really care about YSB. It has really helped us out this last year to get back on track financially.”

YSB participant Mya Guerrero, 15, and a San Marcos High School student, said YSB’s summer programs help get young people more involved in their community.

“You can engage with people,” Guerrero said. “Some people can’t afford all of it, so it’s better for people to get out of the house and just have fun.”

Despite the relocation, both groups agreed the mission to serve all members of the San Marcos community is a number one priority moving forward.

“When you're dealing with two vulnerable populations, youth or people who experience homelessness, I think it's unwise to pit them against each other, and at the same time, we need to create, make sure we have safe spaces for everyone in the community so that they can get the help and the assistance they need,” Salmi said.

Potential locations the YSB is hoping to consider include property at Fountain View Plaza, the former San Marcos Community Health Services building on MLK Drive and space on Highway 123 across from SMCISD Owen Goodnight Middle School.

“I think that with the changes that we will need to make, it'll be brighter and more welcoming,” Hollar said. “We've had a little downturn in the number of kids that we've had, but I feel like it [a new facility] will really bring that desire to come and hang out with us.”

For more information on Southside, visit southsidecommunitycenter. org. For more information on the YSB or to donate to the cause, visit ysb.org.