Buckner Children and Family Services of East Texas officially opened a $6 million campus Nov. 18 in Longview, Texas, including its expanded Family Hope Center and new Family Pathways ministry designed to strengthen local families struggling in poverty and protect children who have suffered abuse and neglect.

“At Buckner, we strive to create programs that will protect children and strengthen families,” said Buckner International President and CEO Albert Reyes. “Adding the Family Hope Center and Family Pathways programs to Longview will make a lasting impression on the families they serve, empowering them to completely transform the direction of their home and create a safe and nurturing environment for their children.”

The Family Pathways program started in Lufkin, Texas, in 1997 and empowers sin-gle parents and their families to achieve self-sufficiency and preserves families by en-couraging education.

The Mac and Tom Stone Buckner Family Pathways in Longview is partnering with Kilgore College, where residents will attend classes. Services offered at Family Pathways include affordable housing, education support, case management, counseling, life skills classes, transportation and spiritual development. The 16 apartments in Longview include a combination of two- and three-bedroom units. Buckner currently operates Family Pathways programs in eight Texas cities.

The Buckner Family Hope Center in Longview assists vulnerable families through crisis relief, life skills training and education services. The new Linda and Ken Hall Buck-ner Family Hope Center facility is approximately 10,000 sq. feet and includes a computer lab, multipurpose rooms, classrooms and office space for Buckner Children and Family Services of Longview.

“We are overwhelmed and grateful by the outpouring of support from our community,” said David Ummel, senior executive director of Buckner Children and Family Services in East Texas. “We know that this facility and the ministries that it houses will impact the lives of children and families for generations to come.”