Who We Serve

More Who We Serve

We target our ministry to street-dependent young people and travelers in Austin. They generally prefer to be called street youth over homeless. They are often invisible and unwanted and, as a result, many are very mobile. Their needs are quite different than a typical older homeless person.

The vast majority of our clients are between the age of 17 and 25. We do not have firm age limits, but reserve our service for those who fit into one of the street youth sub-cultures. We serve those young people who frequent our service area: Guadalupe to Nueces, 19th to 26th. Recent studies show that the human brain continues significant development until age 25, and youth with difficult background are often developmentally delayed.

The 2008 Austin ECHO census showed 4,500 homeless in Austin and estimated that 900 were under the age of 25. We met 450 new clients in 2009 (not counting previous years) and at least that many projected for 2010. In our service area, we have 80 to 120 individuals each week, about 15% new, 10% returning but not from the previous week, and 75% from the previous week.


There are as many paths into street-dependence as there are street youth. Here are some interesting observations we can offer about street-dependent youth:
  • About 25% are girls. 
  • About 75% are travelling kids who are highly mobile. 
  • About 2/3 of the clients served have substance abuse issues. 
  • About 40% were in a foster care system. 
  • About 1/3 have emerging and usually untreated mental health issues.
  • About 90% experienced abuse, either at home, in care, or on the street.

Please know that we are very happing to come speak to your group about Street Dependent Youth.

Each week we see some clients who are new, many we saw the previous week, and a few we haven't seen in some time (between a month and several years). Below is a chart that shows the number of street youth we have served by name each week, broken down by new, reunion and continuing


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