Community Need

Families with children are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population.  Poverty, the immediate cause of homelessness, is painfully evident throughout the Spring Branch Independent School District (SBISD).  Nearly 10,000 elementary school age children in the District are eligible for free and reduced lunch.  The very poorest of these families are homeless, and their children’s lives are fraught with multiple relocations, poor health and nutrition, and educational and emotional setbacks that can affect them forever.

Hundreds of homeless students are identified by SBISD officials each year.  These children and their families are either living in cars, on the street, in emergency shelters, doubled up with other families, or they have received an eviction notice and do not have the resources to avoid becoming homeless.

WHP serves families with children enrolled in SBISD schools who are either homeless or in imminent danger of becoming homeless.  Their household income typically falls below 50% of the area median income for Harris County.   At least one parent must be legally and physically able to work in the United States.  Our program targets families who demonstrate the determination to improve their circumstances and willingness to work hard to bring about that change.