New London ― Sound Community Services will open a new residential program later this year aimed at providing transitional housing for area youth seeking a path to independent living.

The Jason Hyatt Center is five-bedroom home at 39 Montauk Ave., adjacent to the nonprofit’s main campus at 21 Montauk Ave., and will house up to five men between the ages of 18 and 25 who are, among other things, at risk of being homeless.

A ribbon cutting for the new facility is scheduled for Sept. 28.

Some of the youth expected to be referred to the Hyatt Center are facing mental health barriers or have suffered some type of trauma and are in need of stability, Sound Community Services CEO Gino DeMaio said.

“They want to be normal. They want their own apartment,” but don’t yet have the independent living skills necessary, DeMaio said. This population of young men face obstacles finding employment, lack opportunities and education, have legal and mental health issues or are recovering from substance abuse issues, he said.

“A lot of 18 to 25-year-olds in eastern Connecticut are struggling. They need as much help as they can get,” DeMaio said.

While Sound Community Services already offers an array of programs for young adults, such as group home and apartment-style settings, there is nothing that quite fits this group, DeMaio said. Many of the young adults expected to move in have aged out of state Department of Children and Family services and are bouncing around from “house-to-house, basement-to-basement.”

The Jason Hyatt Center will offer stays of between 12 and 18 months in a fully-staffed setting. The center was created in honor of former Sound Community Services Chief Program Officer Jason Hyatt, who died in March of brain cancer. Hyatt had worked for 17 years at Sound Community Services with a focus on bettering the lives of at-risk young adults.

Sound Community Services owns the newly-renovated building and the program is being funded by the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.

“This is our stab at creating a stop gap for these young adults,” DeMaio said.

The new facility is also located next to the organization’s AXS Center and other young adult service programs offered by Sound Community Services.

Illustrating the need, the AXS Center has about 300 people on its roster and between 20 and 50 young adults who participate in the programs daily. The AXS Center offers things like vocational training, recreation, connection to services and community partnerships with a focus on building relationships.

The ribbon cutting event for the Jason Hyatt Center will be held between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Sept. 28 at 21 Montauk Ave. The center is expected to be in operation starting with the first referrals in October.

DeMaio said he is already contemplating a similar program for at-risk young females.

g.smith@theday.com