San Antonio's West Side is on track to get a first-of-its-kind housing project in Texas, a transitional supportive community designed specifically for LGBTQ+ young people. The development, called Thrive Vecindad, would turn two historic homes on Buena Vista into part of a 25-unit village, adding two new buildings and a shared community center on the site.
Plans for Thrive Vecindad
The village is planned as three homes for transitional supportive housing, with individual bedrooms and shared living rooms and bathrooms, plus a separate community center. That hub is expected to house a kitchen, library and study space, along with offices for staff and services.
Residents would be able to stay for two to three years while receiving counseling, case management, and education and employment support aimed at helping them move into permanent housing. Thrive and the San Antonio Housing Trust Foundation estimate they will need to raise about $10 million for the project, and organizers plan to break ground in late 2027 with a target completion date in late 2028 or early 2029, according to KSAT.
How It Fits The City's Housing Goals
The city's Special Housing Supply Task Force has called for 100 supportive homes for unhoused LGBTQ+ youth, so a 25-unit site would account for roughly a quarter of that benchmark, according to a report by the City of San Antonio. Thrive already runs an emergency youth shelter on the Haven for Hope campus and places young people into apartments, as detailed by San Antonio Report. City staff say the task force recommendations are expected to be folded into the city's Strategic Housing Implementation Plan this summer.
Why Advocates Say It Matters
“Forty percent of our local homeless youth identify as LGBTQ+,” Thrive Executive Director Justin Holley said, underscoring advocates' push for long-term, identity-affirming housing, the organization told KSAT. National research and advocacy work suggests LGBTQ young people face much higher odds of homelessness, with estimates commonly used by service providers putting that risk at about 120% higher than for non-LGBTQ peers, according to a resource from True Colors United. Supporters say a dedicated housing community can offer the privacy, stability and intensive casework that short-term shelter beds often cannot provide.
Next Steps
Thrive and its partners are launching a fundraising effort to secure both development and operating dollars, and the nonprofit says construction will move ahead once financing is in place. Organizers say the site is intended to serve teens from across Texas and will be run with wraparound services to help residents transition to independent living. For donation details or media inquiries, organizers point to Thrive's website and donation page at Thrive Youth Center.
