MUSKEGON, Mich. — A 24-hour youth center is slated to open in Muskegon this May, offering around-the-clock resources to kids who need it.
WATCH: New 24-hour youth center in Muskegon will offer kids around-the-clock support
Taking Back Muskegon Founder and CEO Michelle Tyson said a recent string of violence in the area was the wake-up call she needed to take action.
"I just decided, like, hey, you know what? Stop waiting. Enough talking. Somebody got to try something," Tyson said.
The volunteer-based center will serve as a 24/7 safe space for kids ages 6 to 18 who may have nowhere else to go. While the facility will not be a space for sleeping, Tyson said the doors will always be open.
"Say you get kicked out of the house at two o'clock in the morning or three o'clock in the morning… only places you have to go during that time of the night is juvie or in the court system or DHS. We are offering resources in a safe place so they don't do that," Tyson said. "We give them an outlet, somewhere where they can feel like they are important and they fit in."
The center, located on Jefferson Street, will be one of several other Taking Back Muskegon locations across the county.
"It gets most people out of trouble outside of school, because some people do go outside of school, after school, and do stuff they're not supposed to do," said middle school student Travon Johnson.
"I’m a doer," Tyson adds. "I'm not a talker. So if it's on my heart and if it's on my mind, as long as God tells me it's okay to do it, I'm doing it."
Again, the youth center is slated to open in May.
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