EL PASO CENTER FOR CHILDREN INC
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Mission Statement
It is our mission to empower youth and families to brave adversity and conflict through constantly evolving, innovative, programs in order to co-create a brighter future.
About This Cause
Our organization has a keen focus on serving at-risk and marginalized populations through a range of programs addressing homelessness, crime victimization, child abuse and neglect, and family conflict. We have a strong diversity, equity, and inclusion effort, including leading a collaborative effort among multi-service agencies. Origins: The Center’s origins go back to the creation of St. Margaret’s Home for Children in 1919 and Southwestern Children’s Home in 1925, El Paso’s first orphanages for homeless and disadvantaged youth. We continue to occupy the facility on Stevens Street that Mr. R.E. McKee led the efforts to build in 1950. Over the next half-century, these homes raised thousands of El Paso’s homeless children. In 1982, the Boards of Directors of St. Margaret’s and Southwestern wanted to expand and diversify their services to children and families. Recognizing their shared mission, the two organizations merged, creating what is now known as the El Paso Center for Children. Since that time, the agency’s services continued to evolve and the organization was successful in achieving national accreditation for every program area in 2020 (through the Council on Accreditation). Needs We Address: The agency has deliberately developed a continuum of services to meet child abuse/delinquency prevention and intervention needs for at-risk youth, families in crisis, child welfare system-involved youth, and homeless youth and young adults. Stressors in El Paso that place children at risk of maltreatment compared to national averages include: • Elevated levels of poverty -- 77% of youth in El Paso are economically disadvantaged. El Paso is a federally designated persistent poverty area (HOPE, Federal Transit Administration, 2020). • Lower levels of educational attainment. • Higher levels of teen births. • Lower percentage of children in preschool. In 2015, one in 10 teens gave birth (Kids Count Data Center, 2015). In 2018, there were an estimated 60,000 children with mental health needs in El Paso (Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, 2021). In several of our programs we serve children who have been removed from their families by the State, including teens who have been victims of sex trafficking. El Paso (12% White non-Hispanic; 83% Hispanic) experienced racial disparities in the disproportionate number of COVID-19 cases and deaths compared to Collin County, Texas (55% White non-Hispanic; 16% Latino/Hispanic). Numbers of youth experiencing homelessness seeking our assistance doubled during the pandemic. Other risk factors in El Paso that can contribute to homelessness, youth running away, being trafficked, and delinquency include: • Domestic violence. • Border and community violence, including the mass shooting in 2019 – the Walmart shooting had a profound impact on our community, immediately driving up demand and costs for providing behavioral health services. • Approximately 13.5k youth in El Paso may identify as LGBTQ+ -- this population is a particular concern for the agency due to disproportionate representation in homeless and trafficked popuations. • Sexual assaults in the military rose 38% between 2016 and 2018. El Paso has a large military community due to the Ft. Bliss Army installation. • Juvenile probation reported a 72% increase in cases from 2013 to 2018. All persons served live in El Paso, Texas, a majority Hispanic community. Our clients are nearly all low/no income, many adult clients are monolingual Spanish speakers, and many are victims of abuse or other crimes. Our focus is youth, but we serve hundreds of parents and other family members who accompany youth, incorporating family support as a critical wellness factor for youth. We welcome persons from every demographic and have particularly worked to ensure those who identify in the LGBTQ+ population feel included and safe in our programs. Although there are age restrictions imposed by funders for most programs, there are at least some service offerings for persons of any age. Among the children we serve, ADD or ADHD are common diagnoses, with Oppositional Defiant Disorder, depression, and anxiety also commonly identified. Our adult clients are most often challenged by significant traumatic life events, domestic violence, chronic poverty, substance use disorder, and other behavioral health challenges. The agency has a continuum of services ranging from prevention and intervention to community-level solutions. We rely heavily on evidence-based modalities, but are also known for innovation as we adapt services to meet the needs of the community. Programs are organized into three categories: 1) Counseling, Support, and Education, 2) Youth Outreach and Housing, and 3) Foster Care. Within these categories are several programs that are first-of or are the only programs of their kind in the city/region. Services are ALL FREE, ALL THE TIME to clients, most of whom are low-income or without income. 1) Counseling, Support, and Education: 1500 to 1800 children and their family members are served through individual and family counseling and support sessions, parenting classes, youth-skills classes, early childhood services, family engagement activities, and a 24/7 crisis line. Services are offered at numerous school campuses, virtually, in homes, and in our offices. The focus of services is to help youth and their families recognize and use their strengths to address goals that are solution-focused. The majority of youth/family members are struggling with behavioral health challenges and/or significant trauma. This service group also includes a federally-funded pilot project, working to rally community members to collaborate on child abuse prevention. This project is being rigorously evaluated and we/the evaluators will be producing technical assistance guidelines for other communities in the U.S., particularly those with significant Latino and military populations. 2) Youth Outreach and Housing: Hundreds of homeless, abused, abandoned, and/or trafficked teens and young adults access a wide range of services through our Street Outreach, Drop-In Center, Emergency Shelter, and Housing programs. Most youth served are coping with behavioral or physical health challenges that make it extremely difficult to experience a "normal" trajectory in life. This division includes several programs below: a) Street Outreach Program: This is the first youth-focused street outreach program in the region. Our team provides particular expertise in working with LGBTQ+ identified youth and trafficked youth. This program was developed in response to feedback during a focus group hosted for homeless youth. The program doubled in their service numbers during the pandemic, even though the staff levels stayed the same and staff experienced infection with COVID-19 before PPE was available locally. b) Drop-In Center: This is our newest program and opened its doors in January 2020, just weeks before the pandemic prompted shelter-in-place orders. As soon as those lifted and PPE was available, this team reopened, immediately hosting homeless youth and young adults ages 18-24 who needed a place to stay while they washed their clothes, got a bite to eat, and learned about services. They screened teens to determine eligibility for staying at the emergency shelter, helped youth access the housing team, and helped reunite youth with families and friends who could give them a place to stay. c) Youth Emergency Shelter: This state-licensed facility provides crisis intervention and short-term shelter for homeless and runaway youth and those removed from their homes by the State due to abuse or neglect. More than 90% of youth served in our shelter have behavioral health issues, chronic health conditions, or learning disorders, yet we consistently exceed our goal of getting at least 90% of them transitioned to a safe, long-term housing/services environment. d) Housing for Homeless Young Adults: This program was developed in response to feedback during a focus group hosted for homeless youth. It was the first youth-focused housing project in our community and is now an integral part of the housing continuum. The program provides rental assistance and intensive case management support to homeless young adults ages 18-24, including a sub-set transitional living focus on homeless female and LGBTQ youth and another for young men. A significant percentage of these youth are former foster youth who had no family to turn to when they turned 18. 3) Foster Care: Carefully recruited, screened, and trained foster parents offer therapeutic foster care for youth with basic needs and for youth with moderate to specialized needs due to behavioral health issues and/or having elevated medical needs. We also have a Specialized Foster Care subset of services in this department, providing homes for victims of sex trafficking. This was one of an initial group of three agencies in Texas chosen to provide therapeutic foster homes, counseling, and advocacy for these victims. The agency is one of the first organizations in El Paso to specifically focus on this population.