On the east side of Indianapolis, a former court building has quietly flipped its lights on for a very different kind of overnight crowd. Marion County's Family and Youth Intervention Center, known locally as the FYI Center, is now open 24/7 so homeless and at‑risk teens have a place to sleep, eat and plug into services without stepping into the juvenile‑justice system. County leaders say the round‑the‑clock schedule lets staff accept overnight guests and offer short‑term stabilization instead of sending young people toward detention.
State licensing cleared the way
The shift to full‑time operations followed state approval earlier this month. The FYI Center received an emergency shelter‑care license from the Indiana Department of Child Services, which cleared staff to host youths overnight and provide short stays for teens in crisis, as reported by The Indiana Lawyer.
What the center offers
The site serves 12‑ to 17‑year‑olds and stocks basics like clothing, shoes, day beds and meals, along with referrals to medical and mental‑health providers. Before the licensing change, it kept a limited daily schedule, with hours of about 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., according to WRTV. Youth can arrive by referral from police, schools, families and health providers, rather than through formal arrest or detention channels.
Where it sits and who helped build it
The FYI Center operates out of the former Court House Annex on the east side, with county budget documents listing renovation work at 2401 E. 25th Street to convert the building for the program. Local partners including the Indy Book Project, Marion County Public Library and several nonprofits contributed books, clothing and hygiene supplies, while state and local grants helped cover startup operations, according to the Marion Superior Court budget presentation.
Director: a non‑restrictive place, not a lockup
Director Lety Martinez describes the center as a non‑punitive alternative rather than a new arm of the justice system. "Here, they have freedom," Martinez told FOX59, pointing to open dorms instead of cells and an approach that tries to limit youths' formal contact with law enforcement and child‑welfare agencies. Staff say the model leans on de‑escalation, quick connections to care and brief stabilization stays, not detention.
Staffing, beds and money
Job listings tied to the FYI Center laid out plans for roughly a 20‑bed stabilization site that would operate 24/7, and the courts posted for a director to oversee the program, according to a City of Indianapolis job posting. County budget documents say grants from the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute and opioid‑settlement funds are covering staffing, supplies and programming support, per the Marion Superior Court budget presentation. Grant funding is expected to cover operations through March 2027, according to the City of Indianapolis job posting.
Why officials say it matters
IMPD Chief Tanya Terry and court leaders have pitched the FYI Center as a prevention tool, giving teens a place to cool down and link to services instead of entering custody. That message surfaced at a recent county press event and in comments to FOX59. Academic research has found that incarceration during adolescence can derail education and increase the risk of later incarceration, a concern local leaders have cited and one that shows up in working papers hosted by the NBER.
The move is also a response to conditions on the ground. A recent point‑in‑time count identified more than 300 children experiencing homelessness in Marion County, underscoring the need for emergency options and support services, as reported by WRTV. For those kids, county officials are hoping a staffed bed in a former courthouse can be the off‑ramp that keeps a bad night from turning into a juvenile‑court case.
