THE CHILDRENS SHELTER

ABOUT THE CHILDREN'S SHELTER
The Children’s Shelter is a domestic violence victim service provider for children, youth, and families in South Texas. Since 1901, The Children’s Shelter has provided a safe haven for vulnerable children and their families who are survivors of abuse and neglect. We are one of the oldest, continuously operating non-profits in South Texas. Although we have a strong history of providing outstanding service for children in crisis, we realized years ago the only way to prevent the need for these services was to break the cycle of abuse and neglect. Our mission is to restore innocence and strengthen families. The Children’s Shelter works to restore innocence and break the cycle of abuse through education and prevention, and serves over 4,500 children and families each year. We accomplish this by using evidence-based prevention and intervention practices designed to significantly impact children, families, and in turn, the community.

As an organization working with children and families from traumatic backgrounds, The Children’s Shelter has taken steps to become the first agency in South Texas to become certified in Trauma-Informed care. Trauma-Informed Care is grounded in an understanding of responsiveness to the impact of trauma which emphasizes physical, psychological, and emotional safety for both providers and survivors to rebuild a sense of control and empowerment.

The Children’s Shelter invests in high quality programs designed to change lives by restoring innocence and strengthening families. We work to create a continuum of care that strengthens families, prevents abuse and neglect. The Children’s Shelter Model of Care is defined by a culture of high quality, compassionate trauma-informed care delivered to children and families impacted by or at-risk of abuse and neglect. Our family of services is designed to promote safety, collaboration, trustworthiness, choice, and empowerment in clients and our staff. We accomplish this by using evidence-based prevention and intervention practices designed to significantly impact children, families, and in turn, the community. The family of services at The Children’s Shelter includes the Emergency Shelter, Residential Treatment Center, iParent SA®, Nurse-Family Partnership®, Compadre Y Compadre®, the Harvey E. Najim Hope Center, Foster Care program, and Adoption services.

As the premier child abuse prevention agency in San Antonio and Bexar County, The Children’s Shelter provides a full continuum of care for children in abusive and neglectful situations and the families affected. Once a child comes through our doors, it is our mission to provide for all of the needs of the child, from shelter, to treatment, to a secure and safe home environment. The family of services at The Children’s Shelter serves vulnerable populations in South Texas. We are committed to serving children and their families by incorporating our agency values and trauma-informed care principles in daily interactions. Current programs with outcomes include:
• Mental Health- The Children’s Shelter offers trauma-informed mental health services to all children and families participating in our family of services. The Harvey E. Najim Hope Center opened in October 2015 and is the first center of its kind in South Texas. This outpatient mental health clinic provides a continuum of trauma-informed care for children in Bexar County who are suffering traumatic and emotional disorders as a result of prolonged abuse, neglect or abandonment. The Hope Center served 271 children and 293 families in FY 2017.
• Family Strengthening- The Children’s Shelter offers a continuum of trauma-informed prevention and intervention services for families tailored to fit their needs including:
o Compadre Y Compadre®- provides men in a fatherhood role the opportunity to learn valuable, life-changing skills as father, provider, teacher and hero. In fiscal year 2017 this program served 528 fathers and 1,342 children.
o Nurse-Family Partnership®- dedicated to helping first time, low-income mothers become successful parents by providing home visits by baccalaureate registered nurses. In fiscal year 2017 this program served 319 mothers and 219 children.
o iParent SA®- a comprehensive parenting and family strengthening program with immediate and long-term outcomes that reduce child maltreatment, bolster family relationships, and economic stability. iParent SA® components also focus on services for teen parents and military/veteran families. In fiscal year 2017, this program served 413 caregivers and 684 children.
• Emergency Shelter- The Children’s Shelter provides temporary, safe care for children birth to 16 who have been removed due to traumatic experiences such as domestic violence, abuse, neglect or abandonment in a trauma-informed environment. In fiscal year 2017, 423 children were served through the Emergency Shelter.
• Residential Treatment Center- The Children’s Shelter offers longer term care for children ages five through 12 who are faced with emotional challenges due to chronic trauma of prolonged abuse, neglect or abandonment in a trauma-informed environment. In fiscal year 2017, 65 children were served through the Residential Treatment Center.
• Permanency (Foster Care & Adoption)- The Children’s Shelter provides a therapeutic family care and adoption program for children birth through 18 years old who have faced acute or chronic trauma associated with abuse, neglect or abandonment. In fiscal year 2017, 184 children were served through Foster Care, and 14 children found forever homes through adoption.