Get Involved-Spotlight: Saint Louise House (formerly Vincare Services of Austin)
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Saint Louise House is a local organization serving homeless women with children and homeless youth. Incorporated in September 2000, Saint Louise House operates programming to address the basic needs of these underserved populations.
Through the generosity of the community, Saint Louise House has grown steadily from a volunteer-run project into a professional and innovative organization. Saint Louise House takes a holistic approach to service and opens its doors to clients and supporters from all faiths, backgrounds, and situations.
Saint Louise House’s Programs
St. Louise House
The St. Louise House is an apartment-style housing program for homeless women with children. The program is designed to provide a safe nurturing environment for women and their children so that they can heal from the emotional, physical and spiritual wounds of homelessness while developing skills needed to become stable and self-sufficient. St. Louise House is designed to convey a sense of dignity and respect where people’s view of themselves can be radically transformed and where those otherwise treated with neglect, harshness, or pity can instead experience the values of respect, trust, and responsibility.
Outreach to Street Youth
The Street Youth Meal (OSY) has been in operation since 1997 and served more than 9,000 children and young adults. Weekly offerings of nutritious prepared meals and access to case management services, coupled with a freezing weather shelter, ensure that life-saving crisis and basic needs services are available to youth ages 10-23. The program is run in collaboration with Lifeworks.
Volunteering with Saint Louise House
Saint Louise House is rooted in service to the community and is built on a foundation of volunteers. In order to ensure that all volunteers experience as fruitful a commitment as possible, we provide volunteer orientation and training. Sessions are publicized on Saint Louise House’s website, and take place monthly. Anyone who would like to learn more about us is welcome to attend.
Saint Louise House does ask that all volunteers complete a background check. Depending upon a volunteer’s involvement, additional project-specific training may be required.
Please call the Volunteer & Material Donations phone line at (512) 423-4140 or email volunteer@vincare.org to get involved.
Volunteer Opportunities for St. Louise House
Move-ins – Transform an empty apartment, with donated furnishings and household items, into a warm, welcoming home.
Duties include: assembling & arranging donated furniture; making beds; arranging bathroom linens/items; putting away kitchen items; hanging artwork; light cleaning and decorating.
Furniture Pick-ups – Assist Saint Louise House on weekdays or weekends with scheduled furniture pickups. Saint Louise House relies on donated furnishings to prepare apartments for a new family’s move-in. Pairs of volunteers with a truck are in great need!
Duties include: Being available one evening or weekend day per month; Providing the vehicle & muscles to pick up items from donors; Delivering items to either of Saint Louise House’s storage facilities.
Hospitality – Create fun for the sake of fun!
Duties include: Organizing & hosting seasonal and holiday celebrations for the community of families; Sponsoring mothers in “Moms only” activities & providing supervision of children (alongside professional staff) during “Moms only” activities; Sponsoring parties for the St. Louise House children.
Maintenance and Handiwork – Work closely with Saint Louise House’s’s Facility Director to repair, paint and refurbish apartments. Duties will depend on project.
Office Support – Provide administrative office support by answering phones and performing general office functions.
Volunteer Opportunities for Outreach to Street Youth
Saint Louise House provides several ways for you to serve university-area homeless youth. Here are a few of our regularly scheduled opportunities:
Outreach to Street Youth Meal CookPrepare and cook a hot nutritious meal for 30 to 60 youth. Cooks are needed every Thursday from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Outreach to Street Youth Meal ServerServe meals to 30 to 60 youth. Servers are needed each Thursday between 4:00 and 6:00 pm.
Saint Louise House Group Projects
Please contact our Volunteer Coordinator at (512) 302-0027, ext. 15 or email mvasquez@saintlouisehouse.org. to learn how your group can support homeless families and youth through either of Saint Louise House’s programs.
Contact Us:
Marisol Vasquez, M.T.S.
Volunteer and In-Kind Donations Coordinator
mvasquez@saintlouisehouse.org(512) 302-0027, ext. 15
If you or someone you know wishes to receive more information about accessing services through Saint Louise House, please visit our website or call (512) 454-6445 to speak with a professional staff member.
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