METAIRIE, La. (WGNO) — Jefferson Parish leaders broke ground on a new facility in Metairie for troubled kids in the parish.
On Dec. 18, crews will begin construction at the corner of Airline Highway and David Drive for the 11,000-square-foot, two-story building for the Jefferson Parish Department of Juvenile Services’ administration and probation.
“They’ll conduct court-ordered investigations here, as well as office visits, and provide other access to treatment and evidence-based services for adjudicated youth,” Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng said.
The $5 million project is funded by the Department of Juvenile Services’ 10-year dedicated property tax millage.
“It’s not just my agency doing things,” said Department of Juvenile Services Director Matthew Villio. “It’s Juvenile Court’s Families in Need of Services Program, kind of an early intervention type of program, and also, the DA’s office runs diversion, which is an alternative formal case processing. So, there are a lot of steps that we try to take, so youth can be successful in their lives at home in the community without having to go to state’s custody. That’s the whole point of Jefferson Parish Justice Juvenile Services.”
Juveniles in state custody include those housed at Bridge City Center for Youth, which is also in Jefferson Parish, where in 2022, there was a riot and several escapes.
According to those who live nearby, with new leadership at the state’s Office of Juvenile Justice came fence repairs, abundant lighting, and the removal of overgrown vegetation at the Bridge City facility.
“It seems like whatever changes the new director has made has shown some improvement,” said Dennis Guidry, a member of the Nine Mile Point Civic Association.
Neighbors say they’re glad to see their tax dollars go toward juvenile rehabilitation because they’re already seeing the payoff at Bridge City Center for Youth.
“They want to be part of society. They’re trying to get through the programs, and they don’t have the ambition to run across the fence like the other ones had,” Guidry said. “So, I think that there’s a need for addressing those types of problems in facilities like that.”
The parish is hoping construction will be completed by March 17, 2025.
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