10 reVision Facts

Support and Resources | Built on collaboration, reVision partners with numerous local organizations and agencies. Current partnerships that support our services include 39 churches, the Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD, Covenant House of Texas, Alliance of Community Assistance Ministries (ACAM), Workforce Solutions, The Way Home Continuum of Care, and the Houston Food Bank.

reVision provides support to youth lacking family networks and positive adults. With neighborhood roots and youth connections reaching back for more than 20 years, reVision has earned the credibility of youth, the trust of the community, and a reliable reputation among youth-serving institutions. There is no other organization in Harris County with the capacity, expertise, and existing relationships to address the unique needs of this population.

Equity | At reVision, we strive to interact with our youth and community in a culturally competent manner. We continuously ensure that our language, actions, and programs approach equity through a fair lens. Our front-line staff reflects the diversity of the young people we serve and have similar lived experiences. All of our staff members are trained in culturally competent and trauma-informed practices. We have 23 full-time staff, 16 of whom are Black or Latinx, and those identifying as White categorize themselves as anti-racists and abolitionists. Our Board of Directors consists of 12 members, seven of whom are Black, Indigenous, People Of Color (BIPOC). We plan to further diversify our leadership by adding a youth or young adult position on the board and individuals who identify as former refugees.

Diversity and Inclusion | Over 90% of youth that reVision serves are Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color (BIPOC), are religiously diverse, have a primary language other than English, and many have a refugee background from places of violent conflict. Many are LGBTQIA+.

Justice Involvement | reVision works with youth enmeshed at every point of the school-to-prison pipeline - teens struggling behaviorally or socially at school in trouble, juvenile detention, on probation, and 'certified' youth in adult prison. Intervening in the lives of male and female youth of all ethnicities, reVision has come into contact with hundreds of youth whose pathways into the criminal justice system began in their home schools, where they were suspended, removed to alternative schools, and arrested and expelled. Many system-involved youth are also in foster care, experiencing homelessness, refugees, or being gang-affected. reVision has longstanding partnerships with Houston ISD, HCJPD, the Texas Juvenile Justice Department, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

Unstably Housed Youth | Houston has a problem—a "hidden homeless" problem impacting the greater Houston area's most profoundly disconnected and vulnerable youth. Identifying children and youth who are homeless is a challenge. Hidden homelessness is one of the many reasons. Most unhoused youth aren't in shelters, and they are not on the streets, instead going from place to place, sleeping on a friend's, family member's, or a stranger's couch. Also known as "doubling up" or "couch surfing," this form of homelessness is a precarious means of survival, with the same risk factors and adverse outcomes as those staying in shelters or outdoor locations.

Keeping Kids in School | Houston reVision has a Keeping Kids in School program. Youth referred to reVision are, on average, two grade levels behind where they should be academically. Many of these youth are at risk of or have already become system-involved through the school disciplinary process or the juvenile justice system. Many are involved in both systems already.  This program addresses the needs of the highest-risk kids in the Houston Independent School District (HISD) to keep them in school and out of the juvenile justice system. This is done by increasing school connectedness of students that engage in behaviors for which they would face disciplinary action, suspension, and/or arrest. Houston: reVision’s Keeping Kids in School program promotes school connectedness and improves student health and academic achievement through partnerships with the Houston Independent School District (HISD) and the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department (HCJPD). 

Mentorship | Houston reVision is a safe, supportive environment where these youth can be themselves, find positive role models, and discover that their daily stress doesn’t define their world. A 2021 program evaluation by the University of Houston’s Graduate College of Social Work and College of Education strongly endorsed four vital elements of our approach:  mentoring, case management, school support and restorative circles.