Our Mission

LifeWorks is a fearless advocate for youth and young adults pursuing a life they love and a stable future for themselves and their families. We are committed to innovative problem-solving, shared accountability and a relentless focus on achieving real, sustainable and measurable results for the clients we serve. 

Our Purpose

Every year, LifeWorks advocates for more than 4,000 youth and families, many of whom are facing life’s most difficult challenges, including homelessness, trauma, and abuse. 

We have three core goals for our community’s youth:

Everyone deserves a home.  On any given night, we shelter or house more than 140 youth, but we know the need is much greater.  There are more than 700 homeless youth in Austin today.  We know that having a safe and stable place to call home in crucial.

Everyone deserves to work.  Our youth often struggle to find their place in the workforce, so our commitment is to lower the barriers experienced by youth who have grown up in foster care or spent time on the streets through evidence-based, rapid employment.

Everyone deserves a chance to heal.  Youth in foster care are twice as likely as U.S. Iraq War veterans to experience PTSD.  LifeWorks counseling and psychiatric services offer a caring place for youth and families to address conflict and trauma so that they can move forward.

Each one of LifeWorks programs, as well as our collaborative, research and advocacy efforts, are designed to promote these three pillars.

Our History

LifeWorks was created in 1998 through the merger of Pathways Community Counseling, Child & Family Service, Teenage Parent Council of Austin, and Youth Options.  The goal of the merger was to establish a continuum of support for youth and families experiencing crisis.  The organization started with a budget of $6 million and has grown to nearly $16.5 million ($20 million in October, FY21), employing 180 professional staff and operating 7 service locations.

LifeWorks mission is to fearlessly advocate for youth and young adults to pursue a life they love and a stable future for themselves and their families. Our service philosophy is strengths-based and client-centered. Everyone who walks through our door is served with dignity and viewed through the lens of their potential and the goals they set for themselves.

LifeWorks has more than 50 years of experience working with homeless youth, youth aging out of foster care, young adults, and young parents. LifeWorks provides 19 programs under the categories of Housing, Counseling, and Education/Workforce. We have one of the most comprehensive continuums of housing and support options for vulnerable youth in the country, including Street Outreach, Emergency Shelter, Transitional Living, Young Parents Program, Rapid Re-Housing, and Permanent Supportive Housing.  LifeWorks is active in local, state, and national efforts to end youth homelessness. LifeWorks Counseling programs provide one of the largest sources of community-based and psychiatric services to children, youth and families. Education and Workforce programs provide literacy and GED classes, HSE (High School Equivalency)workforce placement, and critical skill-building support. Youth and families may access one or multiple LifeWorks programs with continuity. 

LifeWorks is committed to continually improving our services and advancing our field through rigorous data collection and evaluation of our work. Please see the Impact section for some of our reports.

Meet Jared and Joseph, LifeWorks Clients