Hogg Foundation for Mental Health

Catholic Charities Nonprofit Receives Hogg Foundation Grant to Fund Children’s Mental Health Training for Houston Adults

August 3, 2011

HOUSTON – Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston – Houston has received one of four grants awarded in Houston to fund children’s mental health training programs for adults who work with children and youth in the Houston area but aren’t mental health professionals.

Catholic Charities will provide positive youth development training to 68 staff who work with children at St. Michael’s Home for Children. St. Michael’s has three locations that provide shelter for undocumented children who have been detained by federal immigration officials in Harris County.

Many of the 347 children who lived at the center in 2010 reported being abused, neglected or victims of human trafficking. Thirty-five percent had a diagnosed mental illness, such as depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder. The training funded by a $5,000 grant from the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health will help staff recognize the signs and understand the causes of mental illness in children from diverse cultures.

“Many of the children we serve have experienced traumatic separation from their families and homes. Our goal is to equip our direct care workers with the best possible skills so they can build strong, positive relationships with children while providing the highest quality of care,” said Bonna Kol, Catholic Charities president and CEO.

The Hogg Foundation and St. Luke's Episcopal Health Charities awarded the Ima Hogg Community Education Grants to pay for training for people who work with hundreds of children and youth of all ages, including those who live in Houston’s neediest neighborhoods. The training will enable participants to recognize the signs of mental illness in children, respond appropriately, and help families locate services in the community.

The grants are in honor of Miss Ima Hogg, a beloved and influential Houston philanthropist who supported mental health, music and the arts, education, and other causes in Houston and across Texas. In 1963 she directed the foundation to periodically fund children’s mental health training for adults in Houston and Harris County.

Other recipients include Boys and Girls Country of Houston, Inc., NAMI Metropolitan Houston and NAMI West Houston, and Texas Association for Infant Mental Health.

The Hogg Foundation was created in 1940 by the children of former Texas Governor James S. Hogg, and is part of the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement at The University of Texas at Austin. The foundation advances recovery and wellness in Texas by funding mental health services, policy analysis, research, and public education.

Through research-informed grantmaking to Texas nonprofits, St. Luke's Episcopal Health Charities, a separate component of St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System, improves community health and reduces health disparities. Our Center for Community-Based Research is dedicated to community-based participatory research practices that foster informed action, collaboration and empowerment for the medically underserved and other vulnerable populations.