A Houston nonprofit providing supervised independent living housing for United States veterans, young adults aging out of Texas foster care, and mothers in recovery with their children.
We were built on a conviction our founder learned firsthand: you can't build anything until the ground stops shaking. Groundwork Living pairs safe, stable housing with the support to get benefits, skills, and momentum in place, at each resident's own pace.
Our residents share one thing: support that ended on a date rather than at readiness.
Men and women who served in the U.S. Armed Forces and are experiencing housing instability or homelessness. Any discharge status considered. The property is substance-free, and housing is not conditioned on sobriety.
Ages 18 to 24 with foster care experience, aging out of or recently left the Texas system, able to live independently in a shared household.
Mothers in recovery, committed to an abstinence-based residence, housed together with their children — never separated. Opening at our second residence.
We do not provide clinical treatment, personal care, or medication administration. Clients who need those services deserve a setting that provides them, and we will help find one.
Housing alone does not resolve housing instability. Neither do services without a stable address. Every resident receives both.
Every resident is treated like the author of their own story, because they are.
"Stabilization is the first key to helping develop and prepare transitioning veterans and young adults aging out of foster care for the life they deserve. Because you can't build anything until the ground stops shaking.
This is why Groundwork Living is so close to my heart. It's about setting the foundation for success for our children, our youth, and our veterans, the people this country made promises to.
I've been on both sides of this, as a child in foster care and as a veteran transitioning, so I know it can be done, and I know you don't do it alone. I'm here to help you see what you've already got, point you in the right direction, and help you grow into it.
Get stable first. Then build. And through all of it, you get treated like you matter, because you do."— Shala, Founder & President, Groundwork Living
Veterans experiencing homelessness, young adults aging out of Texas foster care, and — at our second residence — mothers in recovery with their children.
We accept referrals from caseworkers and agencies as well as direct applications. Either way, we work with your team throughout, not around it.
VA disability compensation and pension, SSVF, SSI/SSDI, Texas PAL Aftercare Room and Board, Education and Training Vouchers, and Extended Foster Care.
No. We do not provide clinical treatment, personal care, or medication administration. Residents who need those services deserve a setting that provides them, and we will help find one.
Terms run twelve months and are extendable by service plan review, because readiness is not a calendar date. Exit planning begins at month nine.
Email us or use the referral form below with your client's situation, housing need, and any funding already in place. We'll run a brief eligibility screening and keep you informed either way.
We work with your team, not around it. We never make housing decisions about your client without your awareness.
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Contact us | Email us with your client's situation, housing need, and any funding already in place. |
| 2. Screening | A brief intake screening against written eligibility criteria. You and your client get the answer either way, with the reason. |
| 3. Application | Your client applies; we review promptly and keep you informed. |
| 4. Move-in | Your client signs the Resident Agreement and House Rules and moves in. You stay involved, with a release of information signed at intake so coordination is documented from day one. |
| Legal name | Groundwork Living, a Texas nonprofit corporation |
|---|---|
| Federal status | Tax exempt under IRC Section 501(c)(3), determination letter dated August 12, 2026, effective July 30, 2026. Public charity under Section 509(a)(2). Contributions are tax deductible. |
| Contact | info@groundworkliving.org |
Our determination letter and exemption application are available for public inspection as federal law requires. Ask and we will provide them.