New Youth Assessment Center Spot

The News-Gazette announced the new location for the Champaign County Youth Assessment Center. A basic description (also a fact sheet here):

The Youth Assessment Center staff screen at-risk juveniles and link them and their families with the community’s support and restorative services. Law enforcement personnel typically make referrals to the Youth Assessment Center as an alternative to prosecution and to prevent further delinquent activities. Case managers consider station-adjustment charges, police officer or school official recommendations, family input, and restorative justice methods.

The News-Gazette blurb with the address:

New location for Youth Assessment Center
The county’s Youth Assessment Center has found a new home that it plans to open next month.

The center will move to 2011 Round Barn Road, C, according to Dalitso Sulamoyo, CEO of the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission. That’s the former home of Tap In Leadership Academy, Sulamoyo said.

It was announced in December that the center, which diverts youth from the criminal-justice system, would leave the Unit 4-owned Randolph Street location where it’s been housed rent-free for three years.

Three years of rent will also be covered at the new location, courtesy of a $50,000 donation from Jimmy John’s founder Jimmy John Liautaud. The plan is to open on April 1, Sulamoyo said.

The full article also talks about what may become of the previous site.

More information on the donation from a previous post:

A program designed to keep kids out of the criminal justice system is getting a new home, thanks to a donation from a local business owner. From the WCIA news Illinois Hompage.net:

Donation provides new home for youth program

State's Attorney Julia Reitz announced Jimmy John Liautaud and his wife gave $50,000 to support the Champaign County Youth Assessment Center. It needs to find a new facility.

It was using space, rent free, from Unit 4, but district leaders say they now need that space.

Jimmy John's sandwich restaurant chain is owned by the same. The Chicago Tribune had an interview with and about him recently about his business and him no longer big game hunting after a controversy that still haunts his image to this day.. As far as PR goes, this is certainly better than the news about his chain this time last year when he was settling a labor dispute with the Attorney General.

Regardless of any speculation on his motivations this was a definite need of a local program that has had objective results, so in the end a welcome bit of philanthropy this holiday season.