Pine County has a received a $333,000 grant from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety to help fund the new Pine County Evening Reporting Center.
This center is the next step for the County's Project RISE program. It will work to keep at-risk juveniles in their community and give them a safe place to develop socially, emotionally, and educationally.
The program will work in conjunction with the various county departments to determine which youth would be ideal candidates for the center.
Pine County's Evening Reporting Center will be housed in the East Central Alternative Learning Center.
"East Central, throughout Project RISE, has been a tremendous partner with our work," said Probation Director Terry Fawcett.
Andrew Almos, the Superintendent for East Central, has been involved with Project RISE since the very beginning, including the trip to Georgetown University.
The PCERC will be open three days a week from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. and will offer a myriad of services ranging from mental health to chemical dependency to cultural guidance/spirituality.
Fawcett told WCMP that he believes they will be able to open the PCERC in September of this year; however, it may be pushed back until January 2020 depending on additional grant funding.
