Posts By: Sondra Lehmann

By: April Ferrino, Senior Policy and Evaluation Specialist Where will a youth who is aging out of foster care system land? Too many don’t have a safety net (e.g. housing, employment, education plans, or access to medical care) and may become homeless. This outcome is not unique to the US, as shown in the article below about… Read more »

Announcement from the Department of Family and Protective Services: The next area to benefit from Foster Care Redesign will be DFPS Region 2, which includes 30 counties in Northwest Texas. DFPS will release a Request for Proposals no earlier than December 2015. Foster Care Redesign changes the way that Texas provides and pays for foster… Read more »

Blazing a New Trail in Health and Human Services State health officials started forging a new trail in how health and human services will be organized and delivered in Texas. September 1 marked the beginning of a new state fiscal year and the day new legislative mandates took effect. As you may remember, during the… Read more »

We have a packed calendar of events in the next few months. Check out all the details below for these free events: Friday, September 18, 2015 A Primer in Trauma-Informed Care to Prevent Restraint and Seclusion Round Rock, Texas Join us for a special training opportunity especially for shelters that serve adults or youth. This… Read more »

We are excited to be working with the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs to support the development of a Texas Homeless Youth Survey Tool. The tool will be used for a statewide count to determine the number of youth experiencing homelessness in Texas and the needs of those youth.  This contract is a… Read more »

TNOYS is coordinating the Harris County Transition-Age Youth and Families initiative focused on youth and caregiver engagement to improve mental health services and supports for a young person’s successful transition to adulthood. We recently partnered with NAMI Greater Houston on a parents and caregivers-only workshop series and are excited to spotlight the experiences of one… Read more »

Please help us in welcoming guest blogger, Aldo Charles, Youth Training Specialist at Disability Rights Texas. During the six-month planning phase the Hogg Foundation gave the eight-grantee organizations of the Harris County Transition Age Youth and Families Initiative, Disability Rights Texas formed a partnership with HCC’s VAST Academy. The VAST Academy is a program HCC offers specifically… Read more »

TNOYS is coordinating the Harris County Transition-Age Youth and Families initiative focused on youth and caregiver engagement to improve mental health services and supports for a young person’s successful transition to adulthood. We recently partnered with NAMI Greater Houston on a parents and caregivers-only workshop series and are excited to spotlight the experiences of one… Read more »

Thank you to all who joined us for the Cross-Discipline Trauma Conference of Central Texas.  TNOYS was pleased to partner with Austin Child Guidance Center to host this great event.  One participant, Krystle Ramsay, from the residential treatment center at Hill County Youth Ranch, a participating site in the TNOYS’ Creating a Culture of Care… Read more »

It is with great sadness that we share the news that Vicki Barron, the Executive Director of K’STAR, in Kerrville, Texas, passed away on April 4, 2015. Vicki was the Executive Director of K’STAR for more than 24 years and she was a long-time member of TNOYS. Vicki helped to improve the lives of thousands of… Read more »