Posts By: Sondra Lehmann

  In our final blog post as part of Human Trafficking Awareness Month, we sat down with Allison Franklin, Senior Director of CARES for TNOYS member organization SAFE Alliance. Allison is an experienced leader and advocate for youth victims of commercial sexual exploitation, having worked with The Texas Criminal Justice Coalition and advocated for policy changes… Read more »

In honor of Human Trafficking Awareness Month, TNOYS is profiling member agencies and organizations working to tackle this important issue. One such agency, TRIAD, is a branch of Harris County Protective Services (HCPS). TRIAD acts as the Care Coordinator for Harris County’s multi-disciplinary team (MDT).  Care coordination is an effort spearheaded by the Texas Governor’s… Read more »

Youth in foster care are at high risk for child sex trafficking, and many TNOYS member organizations are leading Texas’ work to protect them from exploitation and facilitate their recovery. But what supports do young survivors in foster care need to help them recover from the trauma they have suffered, and to thrive in the… Read more »

TNOYS member Clothed by Faith was created when founder Abi Fourie noticed a growing need for suitable clothing for children experiencing poverty. As a recent expat from the U.K., Abi was surprised to learn the extent to which poverty was an issue in her community — even within the affluent areas surrounding her new home… Read more »

Last week, TNOYS convened stakeholders working to protect youth during natural disasters. Cross-systems collaboration is important to us at TNOYS, and this event was a unique opportunity for experts in emergency response, child welfare, disaster relief, and others to discuss best practices and build relationships. Texas unfortunately leads the nation in natural disasters, with one… Read more »

For many years, TNOYS has been committed to elevating youth voice and advancing youth engagement in decisions that impact their lives. We do this through a variety of programs, such as our Youth in Action Capitol Day and Young Adult Leadership Council, and in the way we incorporate youth as equal participants in our Annual… Read more »

Across the state, many communities are struggling with how to best support those experiencing homelessness. In Central Texas, one organization has been working to create solutions to address youth homelessness for almost 50 years now. Central Texas Youth Services (CTYS), which will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year, was first founded by community members concerned… Read more »

Every two to three years, TNOYS works with our Board of Directors to develop a strategic plan to guide our work and outline priorities for supporting Texas’ youth and families and the organizations and professionals who serve them. We recently completed the new strategic plan for FY 2020 – FY 2021 and we’re excited about… Read more »

This post is authored by Alex Polk, a member of TNOYS’ Young Adult Leadership Council. As we continue to see exposure and heightened awareness from the LGBTQ community, it’s imperative that youth service providers educate ourselves and others on how we can support the LGBTQ  youth we work with directly and also educate foster parents on the importance of creating… Read more »

Heartstrings Youth Village, one of TNOYS’ newest member organizations, was recently started by former school social worker Ritasha Taylor, who saw that there weren’t enough resources available in her East Fort Bend County community to support youth experiencing housing instability. Until the new organization can build a brick-and-mortar shelter, its goal is to address youth… Read more »