Incorporated in 1981, The Center for Children & Young Adults (CCYA) began housing and serving its first children in 1984 at the 325 Fairground Street property location. The shelter area of the building was called "Open Gate" and housed up to 12 children and youth at one time for emergency shelter. Several community organizations and leaders were involved in the CCYA shelter development process, including Senator Johnny Isakson, The Marietta-Cobb Junior League, local Rotary & Kiwanis clubs, the Cobb County Board of Commissioners, and the Cobb County Department of Family & Children Services.In the 1990s, CCYA relocated to the current Austell Road campus, expanding its facilities, bed capacity, and service delivery, even adding a coed transitional living program (ages 17-20) in 2000. In 2007, CCYA shifted from an emergency shelter to longer-term housing (in excess of 90 days) and in 2009 we began serving only adolescents (ages 12-20).In 2010, under new leadership, CCYA shifted its culture of care from a "shelter" that "houses youth" to a "therapeutic healing center" that "treats and develops youth." In 2019, Rise Up Academy was launched as an accelerated transitional living program for youth & young adults (ages 16-20) who are functioning at a higher social, emotional and behavioral health level, to enable them to shine and thrive. Now, in 2024, CCYA is transitioning the Open Gate residence into seven Transitional Living Practice Apartments to better prepare our young adults (age 17+) for their transition into an independent living program. The goal of the practice apartment model will be to reduce barriers of isolation and institutionalization that challenge youth in independent living, while also helping residents to master their own medication management, behavioral health needs, and school, leisure and work schedules. Residents will also learn to maintain a residence, host visitors, cook meals, and become a productive and contributing community member.
Construction for the new practice apartments will be completed and ready for occupancy by October 2024. These beds will be an expansion of the existing Rise Up Academy program and called Rise Up Studios. Applications for the program will become available in August of this year. Placing DFCS workers may contact Pat Reece, Chief Operating Officer for Residential Services to apply for placement by sending a Universal Application (UA) to preece@ccyakids.org to schedule an admissions interview.