History
Children's Outreach Program
The Children's Outreach Program, the first of its kind in Austin, originated in 1991 as a summer day camp at Salvation Army. During the summers of 1991 and 1992, the Salvation Army hosted a program to provide activities and field trips for homeless children. The 1991 program was coordinated in conjunction with the Region XIII Education Service Center. Salvation Army provided classroom space, equipment, snacks supplies and staff support. The program offered homeless children an exciting summer project full of fun and learning.
In 1992, Foundation for the Homeless joined the collaborative effort, providing staff, volunteers and partial funding for the eight week program. Salvation Army continued to provide the classroom, equipment, snacks, and supplies, as well as continuing staff support to ensure program success. Staff included a licensed teacher, a teacher's aide, and numerous volunteers. For the second year, homeless children in Austin were provided a fun-filled summer experience while practicing academic and social skills needed in the classroom.
In August of 1993, a VISTA volunteer was added to the FFH staff to expand the Children's Outreach Program. From 1993 until 1998, the Program was a collaborative effort between the Foundation for the Homeless, HOBO (Helping Our Brothers Out), Region XIII, and Project HELP. FFH provided staff and volunteers; HOBO provided the location; Region XIII provided VISTA volunteers, location for summer camp and some funding; Project HELP provided school supplies, and funding for some recreational programs.
Services were conducted at the Monarch Apartments and included the following expanded programs: the Monarch Mentorship, the Recreational Activities Project, the Special Events Project, and the Monarch Summer Camp. The Monarch Mentorship and the Recreational Activities Project were designed for children living at the Monarch Transitional Housing Complex, a project of HOBO. The Special Events Project and the Monarch Summer Camp included children from both the Monarch Apartments and the Interfaith Hospitality Network. These projects brought together Austin's major homeless service providers to create numerous comprehensive and consistent opportunities for homeless children annually. The rotation of families through temporary and transitional housing enabled the Children's Program to touch the lives of over 120 homeless children each year (Monarch Butterfly After-School Youth Program Guide, 1997).