Teen and Family Services

What Teen and Family Services does

Teen and Family Services (TAFS) is a Houston, Texas-based nonprofit organization (EIN 48-1260125) founded in 2002 by George Youngblood that delivers adolescent mental health, behavioral health, and substance use recovery services to teens ages 12–18 and their families across the Houston metropolitan area. The organization operates a single underlying clinical framework, the TAFS Model, which is an evidence-informed Alternative Peer Group (APG) approach that integrates licensed clinical care, structured peer community, active family participation, and adventure-based experiential engagement; the model has been continuously refined since 2002 and has contributed to national APG standards.

TAFS delivers its services through three distinct programs adapted to different community contexts: TAFS Memorial, a private-pay outpatient program at 11140 Greenbay Street in Houston supported by insurance and Medicaid billing; TAFS Sunnyside, a fully donor-funded school-based program embedded at Pro-Vision Academy in Houston's Sunnyside community; and TAFS Foster Care, which deploys 28 dedicated clinicians across 25 residential treatment centers and supervised independent living homes, combining Medicaid-reimbursed clinical therapy with donor-funded engagement programming, Saturday Camp, and a Summer Camp in Hempstead, TX. Revenue is generated through a hybrid model: private-pay and insurance/Medicaid reimbursement for clinical services at Memorial and Foster Care, and philanthropic donations for the Sunnyside program and supplementary engagement programming; the organization runs an Annual Fundraising Luncheon (the 2026 event raised $515,000) and works with research partners including Baylor College of Medicine and University of Texas Health Science Center to validate outcomes.

The organization is led by a four-person C-suite (CEO/George Youngblood, CCO/Gerald Hanson, COO/Susanne Burkeholder, CDO/Laura Easton) with 26–30+ years of specialized adolescent behavioral health and nonprofit leadership experience, supported by approximately 30+ total staff including program managers, billing specialists, and recovery coaches. Self-reported outcomes include an 87% long-term recovery engagement rate and a 90% high school graduation rate across programs. TAFS does not disclose specific revenue figures, does not offer a software or digital product, and operates exclusively within the Houston metro market.

Name

Teen and Family Services

Legal name

Teen and Family Services

Website

https://tafs.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Teen and Family Services (TAFS) is a Houston, Texas nonprofit founded in 2002 that delivers adolescent mental health, behavioral health, and substance use recovery services to teens and families through its evidence-informed Alternative Peer Group model across three programs: Memorial (private-pay outpatient), Sunnyside (school-based, donor-funded), and Foster Care (Medicaid-reimbursed residential services).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Adolescent Behavioral Health Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Social Assistance (624), Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities (623220)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Behavioral Health for Children & Adolescents (Youth Services) (HLAFACAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO), Therapeutic & Behavioral Health School Programs (Day Treatment) (EDAJAEAE)

Keywords

• Adolescent behavioral health
• Substance use recovery
• Alternative peer group
• Family therapy services
• Outpatient mental health

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Private Pay - Memorial Program: Private-pay outpatient program for families seeking structured, clinically grounded support. Families pay directly or through insurance for clinical services at the Memorial location.
2. Medicaid Reimbursement - Foster Care: Medicaid covers eligible clinical therapy services for foster care youth in residential treatment centers. Combined with donor-funded engagement programming.
3. Philanthropic Funding - Sunnyside: Fully donor-funded school-based program at Pro-Vision Academy. Philanthropic investment covers licensed clinicians on campus, therapeutic groups, and eliminates financial barriers for families.
4. Donor Support - Foster Care Engagement: Donor support funds recovery support specialists, peer engagement programming, life-skills development, camps, and trauma-informed staff training for foster care programs.
5. Annual Fundraising Luncheon: Annual luncheon event raising funds for clinical care, peer connection, and real-life engagement across all three TAFS programs. 2026 event raised $515,000.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Teen and Family Services delivers licensed clinical care combined with peer engagement, family participation, and adventure learning for adolescents ages 12-18 facing mental health, behavioral health, and substance use challenges. The organization operates three programs: TAFS Memorial (private-pay outpatient), TAFS Sunnyside (donor-funded school-based program at Pro-Vision Academy), and TAFS Foster Care (Medicaid-reimbursed clinical services at residential treatment centers plus camp experiences). All programs share the proprietary evidence-informed Alternative Peer Group model developed since 2002.

Product overview

Teen and Family Services (TAFS) operates as a single unified model with three distinct programs adapted to different community settings. The core TAFS Model integrates licensed clinical care, peer connection, family participation, and adventure learning. TAFS Memorial serves private-pay families through outpatient programming; TAFS Sunnyside provides school-based services at Pro-Vision Academy through donor funding; and TAFS Foster Care delivers clinical services and camps for foster care youth through Medicaid reimbursement and philanthropy. All three programs share the same evidence-informed approach while adapting delivery to each community's specific needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TAFS Memorial: Private-pay outpatient program providing structured, clinically grounded support for families with adolescents facing mental health, behavioral health, and substance use challenges.
• TAFS Sunnyside
• TAFS Foster Care

Products and services

• TAFS Memorial Private-pay outpatient program for families seeking structured, clinically grounded support for adolescents navigating mental health, behavioral health, and substance use challenges. Delivered at 11140 Greenbay Street, Houston TX 77024, combining licensed clinical care, peer engagement, family therapy, and adventure learning.
• TAFS Sunnyside Embedded school-based behavioral health program at Pro-Vision Academy in Houston's Sunnyside community. Fully donor-funded and free to students, delivering licensed mental health care, therapeutic peer groups, life-skills development, and recovery support integrated into the school day.
• TAFS Foster Care Onsite clinical services and offsite camp experiences for foster care youth in residential treatment centers and supervised independent living homes. Combines Medicaid-reimbursed clinical therapy with donor-funded engagement programming including Saturday Camp and Summer Camp at a Hempstead, TX location. Delivered by 28 clinicians across 25 residential homes.

Quantifiable outcome

• 87% long-term recovery engagement rate
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Council on RecoverycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaintains close working relationship with The Council on Recovery in Houston to ensure teens are supported within a coordinated ecosystem rather than bouncing between disconnected services.
• Archway AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in Houston's adolescent behavioral health ecosystem, ensuring coordinated care for teens and families navigating recovery.
• Baylor College of MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership supporting evidence-informed practices. The TAFS Model has been shaped and validated through partnership with Baylor College of Medicine researchers.
• University of Texas Health Science CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership validating the TAFS Model. Independent validation through research partnerships with UTHealth supports measurable outcomes across programs including 87% recovery engagement and 90% graduation rates.
• The Association of Recovery SchoolsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliation with national organization supporting recovery-oriented educational environments. The TAFS Model has contributed to national APG standards.
• Pro-Vision AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharter school partnership embedding TAFS clinical and recovery support services directly on campus at Pro-Vision Academy in Houston's Sunnyside community. TAFS Sunnyside brings licensed mental and behavioral health care directly to teens integrated into the school day.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Newport Academy: For-profit adolescent mental health and substance use treatment provider operating residential and outpatient programs nationally. Directly competes for families seeking clinically grounded adolescent recovery with family involvement, similar in target customer and value proposition.
• Archway Academy: Houston-based recovery high school that partners with TAFS. Operates a sober school model for adolescents in recovery, overlapping directly with TAFS's peer-driven APG approach and serving the same Houston adolescent recovery population.
• Embark Behavioral Health: Multi-site adolescent behavioral health operator offering residential, outpatient, and virtual programs. Competes in the same adolescent mental health and substance use treatment category as TAFS, with a more commercial operating model.
• The Council on Recovery: Houston-area substance use and behavioral health provider that TAFS explicitly partners with. Delivers adolescent and family addiction services in the same Houston ecosystem and shares referral flows with TAFS.
• Sandstone Care: Adolescent and young adult substance use and mental health treatment provider with outpatient and residential levels of care. Comparable in target demographic, clinical approach, and family-engagement model to TAFS.

Broad incumbents

• Rosecrance Health Network: Multi-state behavioral health system offering adolescent residential and outpatient substance use treatment. Comparable in clinical scope (licensed clinicians, family therapy, recovery support) but operates at substantially larger scale across multiple states.
• Caron Treatment Centers: National nonprofit addiction treatment provider with dedicated adolescent programming. Operates at much larger scale across residential and outpatient settings, competing for the same families seeking adolescent substance use treatment.
• Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation: Large national addiction treatment organization with adolescent and young adult programs. Serves as a broad incumbent in adolescent recovery, with significantly greater capital, geographic reach, and brand recognition than TAFS.

Others

• Association of Recovery Schools: National membership body advancing recovery-focused educational environments, of which TAFS is an affiliate. Functions as an ecosystem and standards-setting organization rather than a direct competitor, but shapes the APG category that TAFS helped define.
• Pro-Vision Academy: Houston charter school that hosts TAFS Sunnyside as its embedded behavioral health partner. Acts as a distribution channel rather than a competitor, but critical to the Sunnyside program's reach in the Sunnyside community.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/teenandfamily
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/teen-and-family-services

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Teen and Family Services