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TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - This week marked a new milestone for an East Texas organization which is growing in importance for foster kids.

The Fostering Collective held their grand opening at their facility in Tyler, which they say will help better achieve their mission. It was almost one year ago that we shared the organization’s move from Whitehouse to Tyler.

At the time, the building was more or less a storage site for their closet as hundreds of thousands of dollars of donations were being put to use to renovate the space. Now, during one of the biggest changes in the foster care system in East Texas in decades, the privatization of foster care - The Fostering Collective’s role in the region - is even more important.

“When we knew we wanted to expand we knew we not only wanted to meet those tangible needs but also spiritual and the behavioral needs,” TFC co-founder Christie Sowell said.

From meeting rooms for parents and families, to areas for the kids who are thrust into situations they could never imagine.

“Kind of like air traffic control, just connecting families to resources,” said Sowell.

Finding out who can do specific things like EMDR, and then who takes their insurance. The fostering collective now works directly with the private company over the 23 East Texas counties in region four, ensuring every child and family who cares for them is given a new level of attention.