frequently asked questions

Where is the Shelter located? We are located in East Austin at 4800 Manor Road.  After years of maintaining an undisclosed location, our new facility incorporates state of the art security, allowing us to disclose the location.

How many children do you serve at the Shelter?  We have five homes with 78 beds.  Typically, we have between 50 and 55 children and youth at the Shelter.

How old are the children? ACS cares for children and youth from birth to 22 years old, boys and girls.  Because of this, siblings can stay together while at the Shelter.

How long do they stay at the Shelter?  Children over the age of five who are here for emergency shelter can stay for up to 90 days.  However, newborns up to 1 year old can only stay two weeks.  Teen mothers with their children and youth in our Transitional Living Programs can stay as long as they are in foster care or return to care (up to 22). 

Where do they go if you have no place for them?  If there are no family members or foster home available to care for a child and ACS is unable to take them, Child Protective Services (CPS) must find placement for them elsewhere, sometimes outside of Austin.

Where do the children go when they leave the Shelter?  Most are placed in foster homes. Some need more therapeutic environments and are placed in residential treatment centers.  A few return home.  Decisions are made on a case-by-case basis.

Do the children ever return to the Shelter?  Yes. Some return because foster home placements fail.  Some return because efforts to reunify the children with their families fail.  It is not uncommon to serve the same child more than once over a period of months or years.

What are the types of abuse that you see most often?  Roughly 60% of the children are admitted because of neglect, however, many of these will have more than one reason for admission and often other types of abuse are discovered once a child begins to feel safe.  The next largest is abuse which includes emotional, physical and sexual abuse.

Do the children go to school?  Yes.  Children and youth at the Shelter continue to go to their home school or are enrolled in a nearby school.   

How is the Shelter funded?  Less than 35% of our funding comes from state reimbursements.  The remaining comes from granting foundations and corporations, events and private donations.  For details on how we are funded, click here.

ACS is a private non-profit organization with a 501(c)3 tax status.  All donations are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.