In 1976, Catholic Family and Children's Services and the San Antonio Urban Council applied for and received a grant from the Department of Health, Education and Welfare (now Health and Human Services) under the "Runaway Act". They were awarded the grant and Roy Maas was hired as Executive Director. Roy opened "The Bridge Emergency Shelter" with a budget of $100,000 for 16 boys.

 

In November 1977, working with the San Antonio Optimist Club, Roy became a consultant at Girlsville, which was a long-term home for girls. Girlsville, formerly known as Aganier Hall, was opened in the mid 1950's by the Girls Council of San Antonio. In August 1978, the Bridge and Girlsville merged to become Youth Alternatives, Inc. At this point the "umbrella" concept now operating as Roy Maas' Youth Alternatives was born.

In August 1993 The Board of Directors voted to change the organization name from Youth Alternatives, Inc. to Roy Maas' Youth Alternatives, Inc. This was done to honor the hard work and dedication of its founding Executive Director, Roy Maas, who passed away in 1994.

 

RMYA has grown to meet the needs of thousands of children from our community whose lives have been scarred by abuse, parental desertion, family strain, or emotional turmoil, and to date has provided services to well over 50,000 youth. To address the varying needs of children today, RMYA provides a wide continuum of exceptional programs and services. The RMYA San Antonio Campus is located on West Avenue, and consists of the RMYA Administrative Office, Thrift Shop, The Bridge, The RMYA Counseling Center, and TurningPoint Independent Living Program, which is located adjacent to the West Ave. building in a small neighborhood.  Our long-term residential services are located on the MeadowLand Campus in Boerne (Kendall County) Texas, and include the Meadows Residential Treatment Center for children with more serious emotional and behavioral issues, as well as Girlsville and the Junction, basic group home settings, and the MeadowLand Charter School which serves at-risk students in grades 7th-12th.