The Children's Shelter puts children first by providing a safe, trauma-focused place for children in crisis. Whether the need is for immediate shelter, residential treatment, or foster or adoptive homes, we work to strengthen families by breaking the cycle of child abuse and offering specialized mental health services for children affected by maltreatment.
Compadre Y Compadre exists to strengthen the male caregiver's role as a father, provider, and teacher. Male caregivers come together for 15 weeks in a group setting to build their parenting knowledge and skills, which help them develop strong, nurturing relationships with their children and family.
Fathers who complete the 15-week program are eligible to become a mentor by participating in aftercare services. Mentors participate in community service projects and support incoming participants.
Sessions are one hour and held virtually.
Male caregivers only - father, uncle, grandfather, or any male providing care to a child between 0 and 18 years of age.
Free.
HOPES (Healthy Outcomes through Prevention and Early Support) 3 is a group and community-based initiative centered on providing parental support and education to increase protective factors, and decrease risk factors within families in an effort to prevent child abuse and neglect.
These services include:
- Group-Based Parenting Training
- Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) training
- Family Enrichment Activities
- Case Management
- Basic Support Services
- Period of Purple Crying
- Families with children from infancy to age five, and prenatal mothers
- Family must reside in Bexar County and San Antonio.
In the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) program, baccalaureate registered nurses provide home visits to first-time, low-income mothers. Nurses begin home visits while the mother is pregnant and continue with regularly scheduled visits until the baby is two years old—totaling more than 60 visits over the course of the program.
First-time, low-income mothers only.
Free.
Community Counselors help people who are uninsured, whose existing coverage does not provide mental health services benefits, are low-income and lack the money to pay for counseling services, or who would not receive treatment any other way. Counseling services are provided by trained, licensed professional counselors, licensed clinical social workers, and licensed marriage and family counselors. Sessions are private and conducted in a safe and familiar environment such as churches and community centers.
The first meeting with a counselor is free. A modest fee based on a sliding fee scale is collected for each follow-up session; however, no one is denied service because they cannot pay.
The Harvey E. Najim Hope Center is a specialized outpatient mental health clinic that provides accessible mental health services for children and families as a result of abuse, neglect, and/or abandonment.
Children ages three to 17 years, and their families (biological, foster, relative caregiver, and/or adoptive).
Please call for payment information.
The Children’s Shelter provides treatment foster care for children from birth to 18 years old who have been removed from their birth families due to abuse, abandonment or neglect. There is an on-going need for loving, stable and licensed therapeutic foster care homes in Bexar County to provide the environment children need while awaiting permanency (biological reunification, kinship placement or natural adoption).
Treatment foster care can range from overnight upwards to 22 months.
Treatment foster parents may elect to adopt children when their biological parents’ rights have been terminated.
Children: Birth to 18 years old.
Free.
Lend a hand. Get a smile.
If you have time to spare, we can use your help. Whether it’s working with children in our care through tutoring or mentoring, or behind the scenes work assisting with special events or sorting donations, you can be a part of making a child’s life brighter.
Your impact starts here.
It’s not about how much time you put in, but the impact you can make with your skills and passions. We will provide information about orientation, training, and background checks.