Posts By: Sondra Lehmann

TNOYS recently caught up with Kedrick Spivey to discuss a topic that has generated a fresh round of news coverage throughout Texas: the rise in foster youth being designated Children Without Placement (CWOP) because they have been placed in temporary emergency care in an unlicensed placement.  CWOP is typically viewed as a last resort to… Read more »

In February, TNOYS was excited to relaunch the Statewide Collaborative on Youth Homelessness after a 2-year hiatus. The collaborative’s first meeting of 2022 welcomed more than 100 state agency leaders, service providers, and members of TNOYS’ Young Adult Leadership Council (YALC) to build alignment as we work to prevent and end youth homelessness in Texas…. Read more »

TNOYS stands with trans and gender non-conforming youth as we respond to the recent letter to DFPS to have gender- affirming care investigated as child abuse. At a time when Texas is grappling with an acute foster care capacity crisis, this letter can only exacerbate the very real problems facing the system. In addition to… Read more »

With 2021 drawing to a close, there is a lot for TNOYS and our member network to reflect on and celebrate. Through all of the year’s challenges and opportunities, we could not be more grateful for the many partners and youth who made a direct impact on TNOYS’ work. We’re excited to share some of… Read more »

2021 was a year of growth for TNOYS’ work to more meaningfully center and amplify the voices of youth and young adults (YYA). From listening sessions and focus groups to leadership development training, these efforts were guided by our Youth Engagement Roadmap — a new blueprint for how TNOYS can engage YYAs, learn directly from… Read more »

From September 15 to October 15, people across the country and beyond are celebrating Latine Heritage Month. Here at TNOYS, we think it is important to recognize this occasion as our state of Texas boasts one of the largest Latine populations in the nation. (Please note: this article uses the term ‘Latine’ as a gender-neutral… Read more »

In 2018, TNOYS launched the Young Adult Leadership Council (YALC) to engage youth and young adult leaders with lived experiences from across Texas. The first iteration of the YALC served as an advisory council for TNOYS as the organization took intentional steps to solidify its youth and young adult network.  With the arrival of TNOYS’… Read more »

For the past three years, TNOYS has worked closely with the Office of the Texas Governor’s Child Sex Trafficking Team to build Texas’ capacity to provide high-quality services for Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Youth (CSEY) survivors. In our work across the state, the TNOYS team has provided training and technical assistance to youth-serving providers and… Read more »

With the start of our new fiscal year, TNOYS looks forward to new collaborations alongside our network of over 100 organizations and individual advocates. We are proud to represent and collaborate with a range of organizations working in every Texas region across TNOYS’ seven system areas: child welfare, housing and homelessness services, victim and survivor… Read more »

TNOYS has launched its first-ever AmeriCorps program aimed at scaling youth-adult partnerships with young people with lived experiences within the seven social service systems that TNOYS works in which include homelessness, foster care, juvenile justice, mental health, education, workforce, and victim services. The program will provide young adults with lived expertise with professional development and… Read more »