Denton County is home to over one million residents and stretches as far north as Sanger and as far south as Roanoke. Homelessness doesn’t seem like an epidemic here, but just because there aren’t people panhandling, it doesn’t mean there aren’t families struggling. According to United Way of Denton County, 1 in 3 households are above the federal poverty line, but cannot afford basic necessities such as housing, food, transportation and healthcare. Samantha Sims, Chief Development Officer of Giving Grace, said a lot of county residents don’t realize that there are homeless people in their backyard because they don’t see them.
“I am out here advocating for everyone that has fallen on hard times,” Sims expressed. “Everyone that has been passed over, everyone that has been silenced, looked over, judged, not given a second or third chance. That’s why I do what I do. It’s not one face, it’s all the faces that no one sees.”
Giving Grace, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is actively combating homelessness in Denton County. Beyond simply housing families, they are cultivating something essential for survival and prosperity — a community.
Giving Grace is not using the word community as a metaphor; they are actively building Phase 1 of their Love First Project at 5001 E. McKinney St. in Denton, Texas. This initial phase includes a Family Shelter, Life Skills Facility, Transitional Housing for 12 families and an Outdoor Event Lawn. The family shelter will open its doors in December 2026 and the other amenities in Phase 1 will be completed by December 2027.
There are a total of four phases to the project and once complete, it will grow into an entire property filled with resources, hope and a place for families to rest spiritually, mentally and literally. The Love First Project has been in the hearts and minds of this nonprofit when the land was donated to them over six years ago, and it was made a reality in 2025. Giving Grace received $6 million on behalf of the Denton County Commissioners Court through the American Rescue Fund which Chief Executive Officer Dawn Shapley said was the spark to break ground on the project.
“That’s really my greatest focus right now is Love First and getting that campus built out,” Shapley said. “There’s quite a bit that goes into that. I’m very excited.”
Factors that go into building a multi-thousand square foot facility that includes Transitional housing, Life Skills facility, Event Lawn, Childcare Facility, Family Care and Counseling Facility, playground and a garden, will need the support of the county through monetary funds and volunteers. This is Sims’ arena and thanks to donors, they are currently 74% funded on Phase 1. This phase of the project is $14.6 million in total with $3.7 million left to raise.
“I work with a lot of the donors, so building that, maintaining it, growing the donor database,” Sims said. “But another thing that we focus on is our community partners, churches, businesses, because we all are in this community, and we’re all affected by what is happening.”
Sims jokingly said that while she’d like everyone’s money, a referral or someone’s time is equally as valuable. Sims hosts a monthly volunteer interest meeting and showcases all of the teams people can serve on. Those teams include: street outreach, prayer, administration, events, coaching, adopt-a-family coach, topical coach, intake and logistics.
“I’m really big about people joining a team, you’re not joining a task,” Shapley said. “You’re joining a group of people that you’re on a mission with.”
Out of all of Giving Grace’s teams, they expressed that their prayer team is most vital. Shapley and Sims both experienced housing instability and what helped guide them out of that situation was the power of prayer.
“I’ve been through some things, just like everybody else, but I remember how I got out, I remember how I overcame those things. It wasn’t just somebody helping, it was prayers,” Sims said. “That’s why I tell people that we pray with and we pray over our clients, and sometimes they do the same. For us, nothing happens without prayer, and that’s just how we are.”
Along with prayer, Giving Grace’s RISE program is proven to equip, educate and ensure that families will remain in their homes. The RISE Program is a 90 day outline for families entering Giving Grace’s care and at the end of the three months the goal is to have a stable income, budget, housing plan and resources in place to transition successfully.
“One of the beautiful things I love about our whole concept is I don't want mom back in five years. I don't want those kids back in 10 to 15 years,” Shapley explained. “It is a generational approach of how do we get you beyond this situation that you're in where you have to worry about where you're gonna sleep tonight, you should not have to worry about that. We've got the ways to equip you and enable you so you never have to have that concern again.”
Giving Grace is set to open the Family Shelter this December, providing 20 units (80 beds) for women and families. Until construction is complete, Giving Grace will continue its Rescue Motel Program, which currently uses over 75 sites across the county to keep families off the streets.
“We don't just put people in houses. We are changing lives. We're transforming lives,” Sims expressed. “Anybody can put somebody in the house, but if you did not fix the issues for the reason why they're out there, they're not going to stay. We don't just give out handouts, because they don't last. If you give somebody something to eat two hours later, they're still hungry.”
If you want to learn more about Giving Grace and the Love First Project visit their website: https://www.givinggrace.org/programs/love-first. To see updates about the Love First campus, follow their Instagram page @givinggracetx. Giving Grace’s next fundraiser is April 13 at the Lantana Golf Club.