About Next Steps
Built by neigbors,
for neighbors.
Next Steps was founded by Pamela De Santiago and a hard-working board in 2019, just before the pandemic. None of them knew how dire the community's needs would soon become.
Origin Story
In those first years, the team worked tirelessly to keep neighbors on the brink from falling through the cracks.
In 2022, the mission took its biggest step forward with our first transitional home, Shepherd's House — a safe next step for women ready to break the cycle of instability.
Today, Next Steps focuses on what we do best: safe transitional housing and Mission TC, our neighbors-helping-neighbors outreach. We remain deeply rooted in The Colony, and we still believe the same thing we did on day one — that the community is strongest when it shows up for its own. Our community is only as strong as its most vulnerable people.
The Problem We're Solving
Stability.
The hard question isn't whether we support transitional housing. It's what happens if the problem behind it isn't solved.
Too many people are trying to rebuild their lives without the safe housing, supportive relationships, and practical resources necessary to create lasting change.
Non-medical drivers of health.
Housing instability, social isolation, unsafe living environments, and lack of supportive relationships are among the most significant non-medical factors affecting long-term well-being. These challenges often contribute to ongoing cycles of crisis, poor health outcomes, and reduced opportunities for stability and independence.
Mission & Vision
A place to land. A way to rebuild.
Mission
Next Steps The Colony helps individuals rebuild stability and independence through structured transitional housing and volunteer-driven community support that restores homes, strengthens relationships, and creates pathways forward.
Vision
A community where every person has a safe place to begin again, every neighbor has the support needed to remain safely at home, and every individual has the opportunity to thrive through connection, purpose, and stability.
More Than Housing
We don't just offer a roof.
We offer belonging, honest relationships, and a community that walks alongside people as they rebuild trust, rediscover purpose, and step into independence.
01
Belonging
Everyone who comes through our doors is met the same way: as a unique and worthy neighbor.
02
Honest relationships
Real talk, real expectations, and the kind of trust that takes time and shows up anyway.
03
Compassionate accountability
Structure and clear expectations paired with genuine care — the foundation of every home we run.
Invite us to speak.
We are happy to speak at churches, civic groups, and gatherings around North Texas on community, recovery, and how neighbors show up for each other.