Providing Food, Friends and Hope.
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Meals and Mentorship
At our Youth Nights, youth enjoy a family-style dinner together--cooked and served by volunteer Kitchen Teams--with Direct Mentors, sharing stories about their day, telling jokes, or sometimes just enjoy a quiet moment. Our dinners are always fun, full of conversation, and the heart of what we do. We believe that sitting down and eating with our youth as equals helps provide a sense of safety and support they don't always find elsewhere, especially with adults. This is why it is important our Direct Mentors represent our community’s diversity and embody our mission to commit to creating long-lasting, healthy relationships with our youth. Through consistent connections, they foster a positive environment and encourage self advocacy and success-oriented thinking. All volunteers that interact with our youth contribute to showing them what supportive adult relationships look like, and are mindfully aware of the intersections of issues they face through volunteer training and group accountability. Interested in serving up some delicious food to our youth or creating long-term, positive relationships? Learn more about our volunteer opportunities. |
A Space for Expression
When we say all youth are welcome, we mean all. We affirm the unique experiences and identities of our youth by making Youth Night as inclusive as possible. We provide activities that inspire creativity, encourage growth and learning, or provide the opportunity for self expression. Game nights, bingo, resume writing, poetry slams, sex education trivia--we like to keep it varied and fun, and we're always looking for new activities! Let us know if you're interested in doing an activity with our youth. Youth can also "shop" in Tracey's Closet, our boutique of clothes, hygiene items, hair care products, and more, graciously provided by Francesca's. Tracey's Closet is designed as an identity affirming space, providing youth not only with the dignity they deserve, but the opportunity to express their unique selves through fashion and style. Learn more about Tracey's Closet and how you can contribute to it. |
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Case Management
Whether a young person comes to Youth Night just needing bus fare or long-term housing assistance, we're all about helping them grow and find success. Through the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) and partnerships with other organizations, we help youth get access to and navigate a network of services and resources. We provide case management services for:
Whether a young person comes to Youth Night just needing bus fare or long-term housing assistance, we're all about helping them grow and find success. Through the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) and partnerships with other organizations, we help youth get access to and navigate a network of services and resources. We provide case management services for:
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Asia's Fund | Financial Aid for Transgender Youth
Named for one of our youth who was violently taken from us in 2020, we established Asia's Fund to assist transgender youth with mutual aid for anything from medical needs to tuition. We recognize the unique challenges and discrimination transgender youth face, especially if they are experiencing homelessness. This fund seeks to provide support that can help them find opportunity, dignity, and pride in themselves. |
Partner Resources
Our holistic model of meeting youth where they're at means having knowledge of and access to a variety of resources beyond the scope of what we are capable of providing. As a small grassroots organization, we rely on relationships with other community organizations to ensure our youth have the tools they need for growth and success. Whether groups provide their services during Youth Night, or we know we can pass along their information to a youth in need, we appreciate the relationships we have with our partner organizations.
Are you a part of an organization interested in providing services or knowledge to youth experiencing homelessness? Email [email protected].
Our holistic model of meeting youth where they're at means having knowledge of and access to a variety of resources beyond the scope of what we are capable of providing. As a small grassroots organization, we rely on relationships with other community organizations to ensure our youth have the tools they need for growth and success. Whether groups provide their services during Youth Night, or we know we can pass along their information to a youth in need, we appreciate the relationships we have with our partner organizations.
Are you a part of an organization interested in providing services or knowledge to youth experiencing homelessness? Email [email protected].
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Youth Voices Empowered (YVE)
YVE is a collective of Grace Place youth who, in their own words, "...achieve our mission by participating in activities that allow us to express our bad housing and/or homeless experiences then transform them into advocacy. We meet weekly to discuss how we can impact gaps in federal and local services. YVE was created to return youth’s power back to them after systems involvement had taken it away. As we participate in weekly activities and discussions, we are healing ourselves, our peers, and the surrounding Houston community. We help each other build our public speaking, critical thinking, and problem solving skills so that we can be self assured and provide effective solutions to community partners, youth homelessness crisis advocators, policy makers, and legislators. By showing up for the change we want to see in the world we are showing up for ourselves and once we transition out of YVE we will maintain our efforts as powerful advocates." |
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GET INVOLVED!
Interested in joining Grace Place's family and making a difference in the lives of Houston's most vulnerable youth? Check out our volunteer opportunities or consider making a donation! |
