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The Incarnation House, located in Dallas, Texas, is a non-profit organization that seeks to tackle the issue of homelessness in teens and high school students. The organization was initially founded in 2012 by the Church of the Incarnation, with the intention of meeting the needs of homeless teens. Today, this organization fights against generational poverty by offering housing and other resources to homeless teens in the area.

Although the organization does not focus on teaching students the Christian faith, faith has definitely played a role in the way the organization is run.

According to Dolores Sosa Green, who is the current CEO of Incarnation House, the organization strives to be one that is welcoming to all students in need, regardless of their religion.

“So when the church founded the organization, they made the decision to not make it a faith-based organization,” Green said. “They decided that that was the best route to take, because then, it wouldn't prevent anyone from seeking our assistance or wanting to be in our program. They didn't want that [religion] to be a deterrence, because we have a lot of faith.”

Despite this, Green asserts that “the fact that we're [Incarnation House] providing a service to students who really need the help—that's part of faith. You're part of the community, so that's still very important.”

How It Started

The program was initially a drop-in center that provided food, hygiene products, programming and other sorts of resources for homeless teens or teens with unstable housing.

Although the organization provided necessary resources, it became increasingly clear that more could be done.

Green said, “They ended up remodeling a building to accommodate students to come on site, and we call it the clubhouse.”

According to Green, this decision was made in 2015, a mere three years after the organization's beginnings, and renovations were finished in 2016, the following year.

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How It Has Evolved

Green, who came on board in July of 2022, noticed how the organization has evolved since then.

When explaining the ways in which Incarnation House has changed from its beginning, Green said, “We [Incarnation House] are currently doing things on site with high school [students]. So now, we do programming on site, and we’re there during the day.”

Additionally, Incarnation House now provides case management services.

“That's a good way of finding out what they need, so that way, we can alleviate some of the stressors that they're experiencing already.” Green said. These things include but are not limited to weekly breakfast, weekly lunch and groceries.

Not only does Incarnation House offer physical resources, but they are also involved academically and mentally.

When asked about what particular services are offered, Green said that one important service Incarnation House provides is trauma-informed counseling for students who need it or are ready for counseling.

In terms of academics, Incarnation House encourages their students to attend school and finish school so that they can graduate on time. In cases where students are behind in their studies, they help students catch up on their credits or recover them if necessary.

It is also necessary to include that although the Incarnation House does not directly house students in need of their services, they do provide referrals to their financial partners.

These partners are the organizations that actually do provide transitional housing to homeless and housing-insecure students.

These are merely a few ways in which Incarnation House is supporting the youth in their programs. By providing all of these sources, they are continuing the Church of the Incarnation’s original mission of fighting generational poverty.

Common Misconceptions/Challenges

When it comes to the issue of homelessness in teens, there are many misconceptions and preconceived notions that Incarnation House seeks to repel as they serve.

When asked about these misconceptions, Green provided a couple of examples.

“Being a student of color and then a teenager and then someone who's experiencing homelessness or an insecurity, there's always that stigma or that misconception that they're always misbehaving. It's hard, because then this is going to stand out,” Green said.

In addition to this, Green also revealed how often the Incarnation House is mistakenly called the ‘Incarceration House.’

“I get this a lot where I get calls either from donors or people outside who are not paying attention to what the name is,” Green said.

Green reveals how heartbreaking this is to her, because “they're [students] seen in a very negative light, just because of who they are and of their circumstances. They are wonderful kids, and they're good in the heart.”

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Significance

The Incarnation House has done well in fighting generational poverty, by showing students that there are better paths that they can make for themselves, despite where they came from.

When asked about how generational poverty begins and how it is fought, Green shared her personal experience as an alumna of North Dallas High School.

“I was fortunate enough to have programs outside of school and outside of my family to learn that there was something better out there for them,” she said.

Green also asserted that generational poverty, at least from what she has seen and experienced, tends to start when families aren’t aware of the right resources to aid their circumstances.

“It's not that they're not working hard and trying hard,” Green clarified. “That's not it. They just don't know it [that there is something better for them out there]. “

In the same way that Green learned that there were better things for her available, the Incarnation House strives to provide that same hope to their students.

According to Green, this is how the organization goes about providing hope. It first starts with asking students what their dreams are, what their backup dreams are and things of that nature.

Green calls this preparing students for whatever career they might have and “helping them to create that path for them.”

Despite this organization not explicitly teaching their students about faith, the Incarnation House is continuing the mission of the Church of the Incarnation by expanding into a great part of the community. Additionally, the way that they provide students with hope and resources to build better futures is how they serve others, which truly exhibits God’s love.

More about the Incarnation House can be found here on their official website.

Zoë Ware is a junior at Biola University. She is currently majoring in English with a minor in Entrepreneurship. In the future, she hopes to become a good writer and glorify God with the stories she tells.