The generosity of our supporters helps us continue our work on behalf of youth in Texas. We cannot be thankful enough for the individuals who are as dedicated as we are to strengthening, supporting, and protecting critical services for Texas youth and their families to ensure their success. On May 7, TNOYS saw this charitable… Read more »
Posts By: Sondra Lehmann
Through Their Eyes: Experiencing Homelessness as a Youth
LifeWorks is a member agency of TNOYS that provides homeless youth and young adults with transitional apartment-based living in Austin, Texas. Many of these youth were previously in the foster care system and/or are young parents. The organization’s goal is to build self-sufficiency, with a focus on attaining stable, affordable housing, education, and workforce goals…. Read more »
Building A Community Together at Our Spring Membership Meeting
TNOYS had our Spring Membership Meeting on February 11, 2016 with over 50 attendees representing 30 organizations. The event gave our members the opportunity to network with one another and participate in informative discussions and trainings that strengthened our shared vision to help young people lead healthy and fulfilling lives. The morning started off with… Read more »
In Their Own Words: Fort Worth Homeless Youth Speak for Themselves
In Fort Worth, Texas, we visited both ACH Child and Family Services and DRC Solutions to meet and speak with homeless youth for Youth Count Texas!. At DRC Solutions, which is a day shelter for the homeless in Fort Worth, youth voiced both feelings of frustration and determination. They have faced a great deal of… Read more »
A Community Coming Together to Make Youth Count
Below are photos of some of the children who attended the Youth Count Texas! event in Victoria, Texas in February. The first thing you’d notice when entering the Youth Count Texas! event in Victoria, Texas was the flurry of activity. There were numerous organizations that had tables set up with information about health care, the… Read more »
Connecting Youth to the Resources They Need
Michael Guinn is a man of many titles, some of which include social worker, youth poetry promoter, and youth empowerment specialist. He is also a housing coach for youth aging out of foster care. More than one in five youth become homeless after aging out of the foster care system at the age of eighteen—Michael… Read more »
Lending Our Expertise to an Exceptional New Resource
Navigate Life Texas is a website by and for parents of children with a variety of disabilities and special health-care needs in and beyond Texas. From what we’ve seen and heard from parents and professionals, no existing resource is as comprehensive, supportive, or empowering as this site. It really fills an unmet need in a… Read more »
Rays of Hope for Homeless Youth in Houston
Covenant House is a valued partner collaborating with a number of other organizations in Houston to conduct outreach and survey homeless youth. In Houston, when youth feel they have nowhere to turn, they can go to Covenant House Texas. The organization offers refuge for homeless and runaway youth through their crisis shelter, transitional living program,… Read more »
Making Moves to Better Help Homeless Youth in Texas
“When I was eighteen-years-old, I was living under a bridge.” No youth should ever have to say these words. Unfortunately, the stats reveal that a startling number of youth in the U.S. experience homelessness: In 2014, 194,302 children and youth were reported homeless last year on a given night in the U.S. More than one… Read more »
Resources on Understanding Youth Rights
In early November, TNOYS organized and hosted a training to help providers and advocates better understand the rights of homeless youth. Approximately 40 people from state agencies, school districts, and youth services providers attended the half-day workshop, “Understanding Youth Rights: Helping providers navigate laws and policies affecting unaccompanied homeless youth.” Attorneys and program directors who… Read more »