While homelessness seems to have only been on the minds of some in recent years, others like Our Friends Place have been helping “young women and youth experiencing homelessness” for 35 years.
According to Our Friends Place Executive Director Sue Thiers Hesseltine, “Since we opened our doors more than three decades ago, we have served over 4,200 young women and youth experiencing homelessness and poverty in North Texas, equipping them with the confidence and skills needed to break the cycles of abuse, neglect, poverty and homelessness. We are looking forward to another 35 years committed to assisting more young women and youth in need.”
It was back in 1992 that Our Friends Place opened its first transitional living center, thanks to the Beazley Foundation. Not only was it the first of its kind in North Texas, but the nine-bedroom, apartment-style center provided “a solution for young women, who were aging out of group homes, foster care and unsuitable living conditions.”
A second transitional center was opened in 2015. Named after Sister Pauline Mullen, Pauline’s Place provided an opportunity for 18 young women to have a “stable environment where they could focus on school, life skills, career readiness and financial stability.”
The momentum continued with the launch of Soar to Success in 2017, when the non-residential program helped “young people experiencing housing insecurity by working with numerous North Texas schools and organizations.”
To celebrate its programs and its anniversary year, Our Friends Place will hold it annual Gala, Auction and Casino Night with Co-Chair Tricia Buchheit and Monica Rachel, on Saturday, September 30, at the Renaissance Dallas Hotel.
Tickets ironically are going for $350 … as in 35th anniversary.
* Graphic provided by Our Friends Place