For 119 years, Helping Hand Home for Children has provided a place to heal for abused, neglected and abandoned children.
Helping Hand Home provides residential treatment services, therapeutic foster care, adoption services, and an on-site charter school for emotionally disturbed children. We are a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization located in Austin, Texas licensed by the State of Texas, and governed by the membership of the Helping Hand Society.
The Home is the oldest continuously operating residential childcare agency in Travis County, and a priceless resource kept strong and viable through community support.
Our mission is to maintain a therapeutic home for children and to restore each child to a healthy family setting. Our goal is for the children to take responsibility for their own actions, leave with a sense of worth, improve their academic skills, and gain an increased sense of trust.
Click here to see our New Fact Sheet with more infomation about the services we provide.
Residential Treatment Program
The Home's residential treatment component has been designed specifically for forty-one children between the ages of four and thirteen who have experienced severe physical, sexual, and emotional trauma. One of only a few treatment centers in the United States dedicated to serving young children; our services provide a safe and nurturing environment for children who have experienced the darker side of childhood. Click here to learn more about our Residential Treatment Program.
Pearson Therapeutic Foster Care and Adoption
The Pearson Therapeutic Foster Care Program was founded in 1995 on the belief that a loving home can save a child. Our foster care program serves children from birth to eighteen years old, some of whom need treatment services but can function successfully in a foster home with specially trained and supported foster parents. HHH is also licensed to perform adoptions. Click here to learn more about Pearson Therapeutic Foster Care and Adoption.
Helping Hand Home/UT Charter School
The Charter School provides on-site specialized education services for up to 24 of the Home's children. The teachers and staff work to develop individual learning strategies for children with significant behavioral and academic challenges.
| EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | DIRECTOR OF CLINICAL SERVICES | |
| Ted Keyser | Ann Adams, LCSW | |
| HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR | DIRECTOR OF CHILD PLACEMENT SERVICES | |
| Kelli Bernal, PHR | Kristi Duck, LMSW | |
| DIRECTOR OF RESIDENTIAL SERVICES | DIRECTOR OF ACCOUNTING | |
| Chris Janawicz, LCCA | Cathy Winkelman | |
| DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT | ||
| Julie Freeman | ||
| BOARD OF DIRECTORS | ||
| Cynthia Shaw, President | Carol Burdette | |
| Kay Enoch, Past President | Jana Howden | |
| Laura McBride, President Elect | Francie Little | |
| Mary Fellows, Recording Secretary | Jeanne Little | |
| Lisa Zodin, Treasurer | Marsha Lockett | |
| Debbie Alsup | Cathy Present | |
| Suzy Balagia | Janis Smith | |
| Dinah Barksdale | Jodie Thompson | |
| COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD | ||
Paul Bury |
Jim Rado |
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Doug Dodds |
Pat H. Robertson |
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Bob Fellows |
David Roche |
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Manny Flores |
Beau Ross |
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Ron Franklin |
Kathryn Ross |
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Colleen Gardner |
Paul Smith |
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| Robert Howden | R. Clint Smith |
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Robin Ingari |
Wallace Smith |
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Melissa Jackson |
Jim Spencer |
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| Ava Late | Jim Susman |
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| David Lockett | Mark Thannisch |
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Al Matthews |
Jeffrey Trigger |
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Rep. Elliott Naishtat |
Susant Vincent | |
John Pate |
Neel White | |
Joe Petet |
Sam A. Wilson |
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| C. Lane Prickett | Zeynep Young |
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View Our Newsletter- Heartstrings
View Our Audited Combined Financial Statements: