Publications

Thanks to support from Episcopal Health Foundation, in spring 2024 TNOYS hosted a series of town hall events to listen to and learn from communities ahead of the 89th Texas Legislative Session. TNOYS traveled to and hosted Town Halls in Waco, Lufkin, Houston, Beaumont, Austin, and Fort Worth, drawing 215 total participants for engaging conversations about challenges and needs on the ground. The five social determinants of health —including YYA health behavioral health access— emerged as key themes. Participants acknowledge that limited resources and supports often result in YYA not having their basic needs met, which can in turn lead to outcomes like homelessness, systems reengagement, and health challenges. TNOYS developed a series of “Health Briefs” to summarize local findings from listening and learning in each community. Read the combined health briefs.

Meeting the Needs of Children and Youth Experiencing Commercial Sexual Exploitation

Each year, homelessness and housing instability jeopardize the safety of millions of youth and young adults (YYA). Among Texas YYA experiencing homelessness, the threat of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Youth (CSEY) is especially urgent: an estimated 25% of young Texans facing homelessness also experience at least one instance of CSEY.

TNOYS teamed up with the Office of the Texas Governor’s Child Sex Trafficking team to publish Meeting the Needs of Children and Youth Experiencing Commercial Sexual Exploitation, an actionable manual to equip housing and homelessness services providers to identify, address, and fight CSEY in their communities. Read the manual.

Equitable Healthcare for Youth and Young Adults

Access to healthcare is crucial for young people to achieve stability, overcome obstacles, excel in education and the workforce, and thrive as adults. Despite this, many of Texas’ at-risk or systems-impacted youth and young adults (YYA) face significant challenges with accessing care and youth-friendly health education and resources, making it difficult for them to ensure their health needs are met.

With support from Episcopal Health Foundation, TNOYS sought to understand and address YYAs’ barriers to health education and access. Our brief provides actionable recommendations for youth services professionals, healthcare professionals, policymakers, and others. Read the report.

Assessing Trauma-Informed Care and Community Voice in Central Texas’ Child Welfare System

In 2021, TNOYS collaborated with Mission Capital to uncover how child welfare providers integrate trauma-informed practices and community voice throughout Central Texas.

Through a survey, focus groups, and listening sessions, TNOYS heard directly from Central Texas child welfare providers and youth and young adults who have lived expertise in the child welfare system. The report outlines findings from this research, as well as recommendations that include regular training on trauma-informed care (TIC) implementation, improved data sharing across systems, and the need to more frequently integrate community voice. Read the full report here.

Listening and Learning from Youth, Young Adults, and Providers on Preventing and Ending Youth Homelessness

In October 2021, TNOYS teamed up with the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) to hear from youth, young adults, and providers to better understand and center the needs of young people experiencing homelessness. At two listening sessions, over 60 youth, young adults, and services providers shared valuable input that will inform USICH’s new federal strategic plan to prevent and end homelessness.

TNOYS’ new report, Listening and Learning from Youth, Young Adults, and Providers on Preventing and Ending Youth Homelessness outlines emergent themes from these listening sessions including the need for more youth-specific resources, the urgency to remove housing barriers, and the need to support older youth as they exit systems/ transition to adulthood. Read the full report here.

Updating the PAL Independent Living Study Guides: Listening and Learning from Youth Transitioning into Adulthood

From 2020 through 2021, TNOYS partnered with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) and the Supreme Court of Texas Children’s Commission to update the Preparation for Adult Living (PAL) Independent Living Study guides. This work was the starting point for TNOYS’ Transition-Age Youth (TAY) Life Skills Study Guides, a comprehensive resource with youth-friendly, relevant materials for those who are aging out of the foster care system, as well as additional resources for youth transitioning into adulthood from other systems or those experiencing homelessness. 

To develop the guides, TNOYS asked for input from 29 Youth and Young Adults (YYAs). YYA participants shared their needs as they exited care, as well as the resources, tools, and information that would help them be successful in their transition to adulthood. In the new report, read about the process to develop the TAY guides and why they are such an important resource for transition-age youth.

Texas Disasters and Emergencies: Impacts on Children, Youth, and Families

This report examines the lasting impacts of natural disasters and emergencies on the lives of children and youth from the youth perspective. The report aims to better understand what gaps might still exist for young people in emergency response systems and how TNOYS can support its network of members to fill those gaps.

To inform the report, TNOYS analyzed existing research into the impacts of disasters and emergencies on children and youth, interviewed young people who have lived through a disaster or emergency to learn about their experiences, and spoke with stakeholders in the emergency response and youth services fields to learn what they see in their work. Learn more about the survey and read the full report here.

86th Texas Legislative Session Recap Report

The 86th Texas Legislative Session resulted in several bills and budget decisions that TNOYS believes will truly make a difference in the lives of youth across systems. In this recap report, we provide a summary to give youth and those who work with them an overview of the key policy changes from the session that will impact them and their work.

Building a Trauma-Informed Child Welfare System: A Blueprint

This Blueprint is intended to provide a cohesive statewide roadmap to help realize a Texas child welfare system that is trauma-informed and trauma-responsive. TNOYS’ Executive Director Christine Gendron served on the Statewide Collaborative on Trauma-Informed Care (SCTIC) that developed the document. The strategies in the Blueprint range from short-term to long-term in duration and cover a wide breadth of topics and areas of focus. It can be used by a large statewide task force and by organizations and individuals working in the child welfare system.

Plan to Standardize the Preparation for Adult Living (PAL) Curriculum

In 2017, the Texas Legislature mandated through Senate Bill 1758 that the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) and key stakeholders/partners develop a plan to standardize the curriculum for the Preparation for Adult Living (PAL) program that ensures youth in foster care ages 14 years and older receive the most relevant and age appropriate information and training. TNOYS staff and member organizations participated in this workgroup and TNOYS made substantial contributions to the writing of this report.

Understanding the Youth Services Landscape of the Houston Region

This report is based on findings from a listening tour TNOYS undertook in the summer of 2017 to gain a more thorough understanding of the youth services landscape. TNOYS engaged with representatives from dozens of organizations during the tour, including providers of foster care, prevention and early intervention, emergency shelter and other services, as well as youth and families served by these organizations and other key stakeholders such as funders. The findings are meant to inform TNOYS’ expanding work in the Houston area and are potentially of interest to others who are doing similar work.

Young, Alone and Homeless in the Lone Star State

This joint report produced by TNOYS and Texas Appleseed is the most comprehensive study to date of youth homelessness in Texas. Its key finding is that the lack of a cohesive policy and funding approach to address the problem of youth homelessness in Texas has resulted in high levels of youth who are homeless and poor outcomes for these young people. The report’s findings reveal that youth homelessness doesn’t just affect youth who find themselves without homes, it also has broader implications for the communities in which they live because of the impact on criminal justice, education, and other key institutions. In addition to these findings, the report shares recommendations on policies that can better support the state’s service providers who are working to address youth homelessness, and the young people they serve.

TNOYS Legislative Recap Report: 85th Texas Regular Legislative Session

The 85th Texas Legislative Session was an important one for our state’s child welfare system. TNOYS drafted this report to explain the policy changes that were made this session and how they will impact the work of Texas’ youth and the professionals who serve them. The success of the legislative session for youth service organizations and other child welfare stakeholders was mixed, but there were some major wins for Texas youth and families and the providers who serve them and some major policy changes to be aware of. The report outlines the information according to TNOYS’ legislative priority areas, which include prevention and early intervention, youth homelessness, trauma-informed care, supporting the transition to adulthood, and youth engagement.

Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness: Insights from a Survey of Homeless Liaisons in Texas Public Schools

In 2016, TNOYS conducted a statewide survey of homeless liaisons in Texas public schools, who are tasked with identifying and supporting students experiencing homelessness. The purpose of this policy brief is to share findings from TNOYS’ survey and offer insight into how Texas can best support these homeless liaisons as they work to ensure that legal protections for homeless students are met. The survey reveals that homeless liaisons face many challenges, including competing demands on their time and difficulty identifying homeless students. Based on these findings, the report offers policy recommendations on how to better support these liaisons and the youth they serve who are experiencing homelessness in Texas.

Youth Homelessness in Texas: A report to fulfill the requirements of House Bill 679

In 2015, the Texas Legislature mandated through House Bill 679 that the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) produce a study of homeless youth in Texas. TDHCA contracted with TNOYS and the University of Houston to produce this report, which was delivered to the Texas Legislature in December 2016.  The report includes information on the number of homeless youth in the state, their needs, services available to support them, and funding sources dedicated to those services. It is based on data gathered from the Texas Education Agency, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, and original data collected from 750+ homeless youth through the Youth Count! Texas study carried out by TNOYS and community partners across the state.

The Youth Count Texas! Project: Process Evaluation Report

In 2015, the Texas Legislature passed a bill mandating the first- ever statewide count and survey of homeless youth in Texas. TNOYS was contracted to develop and implement the survey in collaboration with local communities across the state. TNOYS produced this report to share lessons learned in the process of carrying out this groundbreaking effort. The findings and recommendations in this report can inform future counts of youth experiencing homelessness and provide insight into efforts to support this vulnerable population.

Click here to see the YCT! Process Evaluation report Appendix (survey tool) referenced in the report.

UNDERSTANDING YOUTH RIGHTS: Helping Providers Navigate the Laws and Policies Affecting Unaccompanied Homeless Youth

This guide helps youth services providers navigate the often confusing laws that apply to homeless or unaccompanied youth, in order to better serve this vulnerable population. Guidance is provided on state and federal laws around issues such as emergency shelter/housing, emancipation, public education, medical treatment, and state and federal benefits. Each section of the guide contains answers to the most frequently asked questions related to each subject and offers general guidelines for most situations, and the first three chapters focus on how providers can empower the youth voice, help youth understand their rights and responsibilities, and appreciate and understand the cultural diversity among homeless youth.

Youth Engagement Toolkit

This toolkit features a compilation of some of TNOYS’ best resources on starting or enhancing youth engagement efforts within youth services organizations. The toolkit includes a definition of youth engagement and explanation of its benefits, tools to help agencies assess their readiness and progress on incorporating youth engagement, best practices for working with youth, and other practical strategies that organizations can implement to launch or enhance their efforts. The toolkit also includes real-life lessons from those who have practiced youth engagement in the field.