Category: News & Announcements

COVID Heroes

At ACH, we know kids can’t wait, even during a pandemic. We are so proud of our staff who continued to provide the best care for our children and families, despite the many challenges COVID-19 brought our way. We are honoring our employees through a video series, COVID Heroes.

Each week this month they will tell their stories of how they were able to persevere and help those with the most need.

CEO Wayne Carson is kicking off this series in the video below:

Hear how Nick Little and Tia Magee led their teams during the pandemic and provided support to staff in direct care with ACH’s young adults.

Hear how Matthew Day consistently showed up for the youth in ACH’s Youth Emergency Shelter to provide care, safety, and comfort throughout the pandemic.

 

Danny Pectol, Kaitlyn Smith, Valerie May-Brown, and Angela MacLeod from ACH’s Wedgwood Campus share their experiences taking direct care of COVID-19 positive children.

 

Ryker Hampton and Crystal Arvie share their experiences of conducting foster care trainings for parents in their homes.

National Runaway Prevention Month Brings Attention to Youth in Crisis

ACH “Shines a Light” to make an impact on runaway and homeless youth

 

FORT WORTH –  Each November, ACH joins others throughout the country to participate in National Runaway Prevention Month, which calls attention to the experiences of millions of runaway and homeless youth in our country. ACH advocates on behalf of these children, teens and young adults in Tarrant County and surrounding areas through a series of different programs designed to support and ultimately prevent homelessness. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, this critical work has never been more important for so many youth who have fallen on hard times.

“There are almost 15,000 homeless youth in Tarrant County alone, and more than half are under the age of six,” said Tia Magee for ACH’s Pat O’Neal Youth Emergency Shelter. “Our staff work every day to provide a safe place and trusting relationships for runaway youth who are grappling with family conflicts, crises and homelessness.”

The Pat O’Neal Youth Emergency Shelter serves youth ages 10-17 who are runaways or homeless or who are experiencing or at risk of sexual exploitation and/or trafficking. The shelter – the only one of its kind in Tarrant County – provides 24/7 safety and care as well as outreach, education, advocacy, counseling and case management services.  The Pat O’Neal Youth Emergency Shelter is also a designated “Safe Place.” Safe Place is a national program administered locally by ACH that provides access to immediate help and safety for young people in trouble. Youth feeling unsafe or threatened can get help from ACH at any of more than 250 Safe Place locations throughout Tarrant County.

“Emotionally, being homeless hits you because you’re left with your thoughts… I was super sad,” said Mohammed, a teen who received care at ACH. “But when I came to the shelter, I was always surrounded by people, and I didn’t have those stressors of being homeless.”

Through ACH’s Assessment, Intervention, and Referral Services (AIRS) program, youth and others in crisis can find the help and assistance they need, when they need it. AIRS operates a 24-hour crisis call response line that serves as a portal to connect individuals to ACH programs and services. If you need support, contact us at 817.335.HOPE (4673) or email [email protected] for 24-hour assistance. If you are experiencing an emergency, call 911.

First launched in October 2002, National Runaway Prevention Month is spearheaded each year by National Runaway Safeline (NRS), a national nonprofit organization committed to ensuring that runaway, homeless and at-risk youth are safe and off the streets, with the support of the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB). Every November, ACH shines a green light – the official color of National Runaway Prevention Month – to call attention to youth homelessness which impacts communities everywhere.

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About ACH

With over a century of experience, ACH Child and Family Services, a Fort Worth-based nonprofit agency, brings needed resources and skills to children and families struggling with life’s challenges. Some of our 17 programs and services keep children and families together while others provide a healing home for children who can’t live with their families. Through the Our Community Our Kids division, ACH is leading the way in Community-Based Care in seven counties of the Texas foster care system. ACH has been accredited every year since 2003 by the Council on Accreditation and in 2018 Our Community Our Kids became the only nationally accredited community-based care contractor in Texas. Our vision is for families to thrive and children to experience safety, hope and love. Learn more at achservices.org.

817.335.HOPE (4673)  |  ACHservices.org

 

Thank You Thanksgiving Volunteers!

We are so grateful for the volunteers who came out to fill 240 Thanksgiving bags for the families in our care!

Thank you to Brooksource, Lhoist, AT&T Pioneers, BNSF and our individual volunteers!

Here are just a few responses from our grateful foster families:

“What an awesome thing we get to share with our families and thank you for putting it together.”

 “Thank you so much for all you do. Dakota and Kinsey are life savers. They have taught us so much. Thank you again for your blessings.”

 “Thank you so much what a great gift of caring!”

 “Thank you for all the special touches y’all put together for us! We’re truly blessed!”

 “A true blessing to the families!”

ACH’s Tia Magee To Be Played by Jada Pinkett Smith in Netflix Film

One of ACH’s dedicated employees will soon have her story told via Netflix.

Tia Magee, who oversees ACH’s Pat O’Neal Youth Emergency Shelter, will be played by Jada Pinkett Smith in the upcoming Netflix film “Redd Zone.”

The film will follow Magee’s real-life story as a single mother who helped her son’s football team heal following the tragic murder of their teammate, Dominic Redd.

“This beautiful story is a powerful example of how love and dedication from one person changed the lives of so many,” said Pinkett-Smith in an Instagram post.

“Redd Zone” will be produced by Westbrook Studios with Magee’s son, Brandon, as executive producer.

 

Tia Magee, Manager for
ACH’s Youth Emergency Shelter.

 

ACH is thrilled to see Magee’s story told through this film as she continues her passion for helping youth in need at ACH. The Youth Emergency Shelter serves ages 10-17 who are runaways or homeless or who are experiencing or at risk of sexual exploitation and/or trafficking.

“There are almost 15,000 homeless youth in Tarrant County alone, and more than half are under the age of six,” said Magee. “Our staff works every day to provide a safe place and trusting relationships for runaway youth who are grappling with family conflicts, crises, and homelessness.”

The shelter – the only one of its kind in Tarrant County – provides 24/7 safety and care as well as outreach, education, advocacy, counseling, and case management services.

ACH is proud to have Magee on our team. The work she does every day continues to better the lives of youth and families in our community.

For more updates on “Redd Zone” and to learn more about ACH, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

ACH Youth Treatment Center Dedicated to Honor Robert & Jane Ferguson

ACH Child and Family Services staff, donors and supporters gather for the dedication ceremony of a residential treatment program for highest need youth

Pictured: Robert Ferguson and ACH CEO Wayne Carson

FORT WORTH, Texas (Jan. 15, 2021)- ACH Child and Family Services named The Robert and Jane Ferguson Residential Treatment Center (RTC) in a ceremony Thursday. The Fergusons and prominent RTC donors were honored for their contributions to this unique facility, as well as volunteer chairs Kelly Keller and Lynn Newman who led the fundraising campaign.

“We have been involved with youth care and developmental organizations in one way or another all of our married life,” says Robert Ferguson. “This comes from our Christian faith and deep personal belief that youth need to have an equal as possible opportunity to develop as they become adults in our country. The new Residential Treatment Center fulfills our goals. There’s no other like it in DFW or Texas today, and we are proud to be part of this experience.”

The RTC is designed to help foster youth with significant behavioral or mental health challenges. As the need for these services was and continues to be so great within our local community, ACH opened the RTC in August 2019 before it was fully funded in late 2020.

“By helping teens understand that they are safe, valued, respected, and have a purpose, they can begin to trust safe and caring adults and begin to heal from their trauma,” said ACH CEO Wayne Carson. “The Robert and Jane Ferguson Residential Treatment Center is one-of-a-kind in Texas and is crucial to providing these teens the support they need to begin to heal. We are so grateful to the Fergusons and other generous donors who made this possible.”

ACH identified a significant lack of programs for teens with severe challenges after state leaders asked ACH to improve foster care services in 2014. By pioneering Community-Based Care in seven North Texas counties (CPS Region 3b.), the Our Community Our Kids (OCOK) division of ACH coordinates services for and compiles information on 2,400 foster youth annually. In analyzing this information, ACH uncovered a gap in services for teens in need of healing from severe trauma and created an innovative program centered around the RTC.

Tarrant and other counties now have an innovative, secure facility for the most vulnerable youth in the foster care system—those who have experienced extreme abuse and neglect. The RTC’s 24-hour treatment teams will put these highest-need teens on an accelerated path to success.

Created to feel non-institutional with a peaceful atmosphere full of natural light, the RTC can serve 16 boys and girls ages 13-17 in separate dorm-like wings. Youth attend an on-site charter school and enjoy fresh air in a 1.5-acre outdoor space with a walking path and basketball court.

The goal is to connect these youth in less than a year with a support system and help them transition to successfully living in a family—the best setting to continue to develop and learn to become an independent, contributing member of society.

The RTC is the only one of its kind in Texas and joins professional home-based care, therapeutic foster care, support services, and foster care in the ACH Continuum of Care. These integrated services were developed by OCOK to reconnect children with their biological families or when that is not possible, to find them a forever family with relatives or adoptive families.

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About ACH

With over a century of experience, ACH, a Fort Worth-based nonprofit agency, brings needed resources and skills to children and families struggling with life’s challenges. Some of our 17 programs and services keep children and families together while others provide a healing home for children who can’t live with their families. And through the Our Community Our Kids division, ACH is leading the way in Community-Based Care in seven counties of the Texas foster care system. ACH has been accredited every year since 2003 by the Council on Accreditation and in 2018 Our Community Our Kids became a nationally accredited community-based care contractor. Our vision is for families to thrive and children to experience safety, hope and love.

817.335.HOPE (4673)  |  ACHservices.org