The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, Child Protective Services (CPS) is entrusted to care for children and youth in foster care. Identifying placements for children and youth in foster care has become difficult due to a lack of licensed foster homes and alternate placements. When CPS is tasked with caring for children and youth without a placement, CPS staff can provide 24 hour oversight at their facility. However, the CPS facility lacks a shower. Children and youth require access to a shower during nontraditional hours as they attend school during the day.  The County’s Family Youth Services Center (FYSC) located at 6314 Delta Dr., El Paso, TX 79905 is in close proximity to the CPS facility on Hawkins Drive.  The intent, design, and the sole reason a shower facility was constructed in the FYSC, was to make a shower available as necessary to youth in the emergency care of CPS.  CPS has not requested the use of the shower facility in the past but with an increase in CPS youth removals recently, CPS has engaged the County about use of this shower facility.  Access to the shower by CPS for youth in their custody will be on an as needed basis.  The County would allow the use of the shower without financial compensation in accordance with its original intent.  Under the terms of the MOU, CPS will be provided with an afterhours building access card and will only be given access to the shower facility within the building.  Access to any other room or office suite in the building will be restricted and prohibited.  The building has an indoor and outdoor camera security system that records activity in the building 24 hours per day giving the County the ability to monitor the facility when CPS accesses the building.                     

The use of the County’s shower facility will allow CPS to meet this basic hygiene need for the children and youth who cannot be placed in a foster home immediately.  The shower facility has never been used by the building occupants, any other County department or outside agency.  CPS will be responsible for maintaining the shower facility clean and sanitized at all times. This collaborative is in line with the strategic goals of Promote Collaboration and Advance Community Support Services.

Use of the shower facility will be minimal and on an as needed basis.  Water consumption and associated cost for this use cannot be projected at this time.  However, Community Services staff will track this utility with Facilities Management for one year and readdress this MOU with CPS should water consumption increase above normal average consumption.