How We Help

We use a two-generation approach to support our families by working with the adults and the children in the family to help them regain stability and self-sufficiency. Programs focus on housing and employment for adults and on education stabilization for children. Interventions include assessment and diversion, emergency shelter, supportive housing, case management, and an education program.
Learn more below.

Assessment & Diversion

Our Assessment & Diversion team works to find alternatives to shelter for families with children experiencing homelessness. This practice is called diversion. Examples of diversion include landlord mediation/eviction prevention and family reunification.

Diversion is a national best practice for the prevention of homelessness. This practice avoids the trauma of homelessness for families by helping them identify immediate alternative housing arrangements and by connecting them to services and financial resources in the community.

As a result of the implementation of this practice, we act as the access point in Dallas and Collin Counties for families with children experiencing or near homelessness. This means we answer Homeless Crisis Helpline calls for all families, assess each family for needs, and determine the appropriate intervention, conserving shelter beds and assistance for those who truly have no resources of their own and no options other than their car or the streets.

In 2024, we…

  • Pre-screened 6,276 callers through the Homeless Crisis Helpline to determine service eligibility.
  • Identified 3,987  families as literally or imminently homeless; this is an estimated 9,968 children.
  • Diverted approximately 1,877 families from shelter.
  • Triaged approximately 642  families into shelter. 72% of these families were served in our emergency shelter or hotel overflow program.

Simmons Family Gateway Resource Center

In order to manage our tremendous growth, we operate the Simmons Family Gateway Resource Center for all non-shelter services. Our high-volume Assessment and Diversion practice is housed here at a neutral location for easier triage to all family-serving shelters. Supportive housing case managers and administration also office at the Simmons Family Gateway Resource Center. By moving non-shelter services to this location, we have increased our shelter capacity by using as much space as possible for shelter rooms rather than office space. Thank you to the Harold Simmons Foundation and an anonymous donor for helping us expand our services to assist more families than ever before.

 

Emergency Shelter

We operate a 50-room shelter at a former Candlewood Suites property in Far North Dallas in partnership with the City of Dallas. In shelter, each family’s immediate needs for safety, housing, food, and other necessities are met. Our emergency shelter is the only one in Dallas that serve all types of families and keep them together. This includes single parents with kids, families with older male children, multi-generational families, and large families with complex backgrounds.

 

In 2024:

  • Approximately 460 families were served in our emergency shelter and hotel overflow program.
  • 593 families needed a short-stay in a hotel or pay-to-stay in a partner shelter because they were awaiting shelter space or had special circumstances that made shelter impractical or unsafe.
  • 72% of families in our community who needed shelter care were served in our emergency shelter and hotel overflow program.
  • Length of stay in shelter ranged from 1 to 365 days (average was 88 days), pointing to the complexity of housing larger families or those with multiple barriers to housing.
  • Our shelter operated at 120% of capacity, on average, overflowing into non-sleeping rooms during inclement weather or peak service times.

Supportive Housing

We have over 100 units of supportive housing in apartment complexes throughout the community for post-shelter care. Our case managers are embedded in or mobilized to these apartment complexes for ongoing support. This can include monthly home visits, help with lease commitments, assistance with maintenance issues, and connection to resources.

Types of supportive housing programs include project-based vouchers through the Dallas Housing Authority, Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) for families who have specifically documented disabilities, and Rapid Rehousing for families who have relatively fewer barriers to self-sufficiency and are capable of quickly regaining and sustaining stability

In 2024:

  • We served 174 families in supportive housing.
  • 57% of families increased their income during their supportive housing stay (HUD benchmark = 20%).
  • 96% of families served in supportive housing remained stably housed (HUD benchmark = 77%)

General Case Management

While in emergency shelter, parents work with our case managers to identify the issues that led them to homelessness, to address any barriers they face in returning to stable housing, and to reinforce the positive attributes and resources of the family.

Vocational Case Management

Most of our families make 0-30% of the area median income, classifying them as “extremely low income.” Most housing in Dallas is priced for those who make 60% and above the area median income. Thanks to special funding from The Hirsch Family Foundation, we have a Vocational Case Manager who works to bridge this financial gap in our community and to connect our families to opportunities for income growth and stabilization.

In 2024:

  • 51 adults found employment after working with our Vocational Case Manager.
  • The average monthly income at entry was $314, and the average monthly income after vocational case management was $1,738.02.
    •  This is an average increase of $1,424.02 in monthly income.

Education Program

We know the negative effects of homelessness on children and their development. Children experiencing homelessness are woefully behind their peers from an educational and social-emotional perspective. For this reason, we offer a unique Education Program for families in our care.

On March 29, 1987 Vogel Alcove began with 10 children in an “alcove” in space provided by the Downtown Family Shelter (now Family Gateway). Since that day, Vogel Alcove has served over 18,000 homeless children and their families. For the past 36 years Vogel and Family Gateway have remained collaborative partners to serve homeless families and children in Dallas. Today our partnership continues with the opening of the Vogel North Childcare center, again in space provided by Family Gateway. The center will serve infants, toddlers, preschool, school-age children and teens residing in the Family Gateway North family shelter, Monday-Friday, 7:00 am – 6:00 pm. A Saturday Play Day program will operate on Saturday mornings for parents and children to play and learn together.