100,000 Strong: LifeWorks' Impact on Austin's Youth
Overview
LifeWorks collaborates with Austin youth to create programs that reflect their input, ensuring support is tailored to their needs and experiences.
Impact
Through a 20-year partnership, the foundation has committed $7.3M to support LifeWorks in providing invaluable resources to 2,500 young people annually.
From Clients to Decision Makers
Since 1999, LifeWorks has supported 100,000 Austin youth experiencing homelessness and aging out of foster care by providing housing, counseling, education, and job training. Through its Impactful Voices initiative, the organization brings current and former clients into decision-making roles, incorporating their feedback into everything from facility design to marketing.
Since launching in 2022, Impactful Voices has shaped 75% of LifeWorks programs with invaluable input, ensuring services are responsive to client needs while providing participants with meaningful work experience and a platform to share their perspectives.
Shaping Services Through Lived Experience
While planning for its newest housing community, The Works III, the Impactful Voices team emphasized the need for enhanced safety and practical living features.
As a result, LifeWorks incorporated more security features like better lighting and security cameras, as well as bathtubs in apartments, a common need for young parents. The architects hadn’t initially planned for these elements, but they were swiftly integrated into the design, showcasing a commitment to listening and acting on client feedback.
Home, Healing, and Opportunity
Initiatives like Impactful Voices strengthen the organization’s ability to guide young people transitioning from foster care to independence, helping them secure a more stable future.
