In the mid 80s, several individuals from the community were motivated to organize and make plans to open a shelter for runaways and homeless youth. These hard working, caring people did so in part because the Texas Legislature had mandated that youths could no longer be housed with adults, but mostly because they cared about young people.

The first house, opened in 1986, was rented in a neighborhood in San Marcos by the Board of Directors of the new private, non-profit corporation, the Greater San Marcos Youth Council. In the summer of 1989, Stokes Construction built a 16 bed shelter designed for its purpose by Jeff Kester & Assoc. Since then, a basketball court and a counseling and resource center have been built adjacent to the shelter, all of which are utilized to achieve the agency’s mission of protecting children and strengthening families.

Today, the Greater San Marcos Youth Council is governed by a nine (9) member board of community leaders, employs over 20 highly qualified and dedicated individuals who are responsible for caring for the children in the shelter, and provides counseling and other support services to Hays County children under the age of 18 and their families.