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OUR MISSION

Center for Transforming Lives works side-by-side with women and their children to disrupt the cycle of poverty throughout Tarrant County. Our services are two-generational and establish long-term financial and emotional well-being.

THE CENTER FOR TRANSFORMING LIVES DIFFERENCE

HOUSING FIRST

Without housing security, women and their children don’t feel safe enough to move forward. With the security of a home, employment, education and financial freedom are within reach. 

TRAUMA-INFORMED

Because the majority of families who experience homelessness have been impacted by trauma, our approach is to understand what happened to the individual and to their  family members, so that we can help them heal and move forward.

CYCLES OF WELL-BEING

For women with children, financial well-being and emotional well-being are equal parts of the whole. Our model addresses both equally and systematically, to create a cycle of well-being for the whole family. 

TWO-GENERATIONAL

The most effective way to disrupt poverty is to work with parents and children equally and simultaneously, so that transformation lasts into the next generation.

OUR HISTORY

  • Founded by Fort Worth women as the first YWCA to serve local low-income women. Early services included housing, employment supports and social activities

    1907

  • Collaborative Local Leadership included helping to found the local United Way, as well as the local chapters of the USO and Red Cross

    1920s

  • Expanded services for women & girls, establishing child care to support working women and girls leadership activities

    1930s & 1940s

  • Local branches operated in sites throughout Fort Worth, as well as the City of Arlington and Parker County

    1950s

  • Agency Core Services included transitional living for adult women and child development centers

    1960s - 2012

  • Strategic plan determined an expansion focused on disrupting the cycle of poverty for women and children

    Increase in homeless services, early childhood education and added economic mobility

    2013

  • Launched new name of 'Center for Transforming Lives' to better reflect mission and vision

    2015

  • Became a safety net for more than 3,000 women and children in Tarrant County annually

    2017

  • Added Head Start services, doubling the number of children served annually

    2020s

  • CTL becomes the second nonprofit in Tarrant County to achieve national accreditation through the New York-based Council on Accreditation (COA). Learn more at https://coanet.org/

    2022