A Tale of Two Entities…read more Useful: 1. Settlement Home: Helps young girls who were abused have a place to live and thrive. It's a great nonprofit residential center that I hope no one on Yelp ever has a chance to use. 2. Settlement Home Garage Sale: At Palmer Events Center the first weekend in November. Friday you have to pay to get in. Don't bother. Saturday, it's free and it's a great day to scout out the merchandise and buy things you just can't go without. Sunday, the morning is pretty picked over, but the afternoon is the highlight of the whole thing. At a certain hour, they start selling boxes. Get there early, buy one or two boxes, depending on whether you think you can manage it. Plan to be trampled, nudged, elbowed, et cetera. Stuff your box as fast as possible and get the hell out. Funny: 1. My freshman year of college, my rooommate worked for Settlement Home, where abused girls get their lives on track. Some have been sexually abused, physically abused, and so on. I really respected that. This same roommate thought it was funny to tell her mom and boyfriend (stationed in Iraq, by the way) that she was pregnant. After he got someone to buy the ring (within 24 hours) and freaked out sufficiently, and her mom went a little nuts, she called both of them back and said, "Just kidding!." I don't respect that at all. 2. The people at the Settlement Home Garage Sale are friggin' animals. After I bought my box, I went to stand in front of the Center. "GET BACK BITCH! I'VE BEEN STANDING HERE FOR 20 MINUTES!" Wow. I stepped back about 10 feet, actually closer to the door. I think I actually got in before this woman. She had two of the largest boxes available, $8 apiece, duct taped together and on a big luggage rack. I went to the art section. She was sweeping entire tables full of frames into her boxes. She swept in a picture I was in the middle of grabbing. "Can I have that please?" "No!" "Are you even looking at what you're taking?' "NO! I JUST CARE ABOUT THE FRAMES, NOT THE ART, STUPID!" Well, she got a really interesting picture of Michaelangelo's "David" in the deal. Lucky lady. Cool: 1. The Settlement Home basically runs off the funds raised by the gigantic garage sale once a year. What a neat concept. But you can donate to them at any time. It's a good cause, really. 2. For a $3 box, I got the following: An antique intercom that doesn't work A bunch of Royal Doulton "Thistledown" bone china (valued at about $15 a plate) 3 novels 2 small framed photos A large framed photo of a broken window A toothbrush holder A citrus zester Two original, one-of-a-kind paintings What a deal!

I stayed at the forsaken place for a year and a half tooooo long!! I can't begin to tell you how…read moredreadful that this place was. I left fifteen years ago on my eighteenth birthday. My first opinion is that, if they still do, the settlement does NOT need to hire people who are basically kids themselves. I used to wonder if the "houseparents" had bad days, which I'm sure they did, we all did. It appeared as though they took their frustration out on the girls who lived there. Everytime you turned around somebody got a consequence for SOMETHING! Damn! I wonder if giving the girls a consequence for something made them feel taller and better about their egos, especially if they personally had a bad day before they got to work. I heard and saw how the "houseparents" used to gather around and talk about how they punished someone and how they had to restrain a girl and then they mentioned what kind of punishment they had given them. I feel I got punished every time I breathed fresh air. Instead of being punished, I felt as though they should have taught me the values of life. What's out there in life and PREPARE me for it!!!! I felt that there was no need to punish someone THAT often. Instead of punishing a girl, damn, get to know their past. See why they what they do, look behind the problem to correct it. A punishment is not going to do it. Work with them slowly. I should never have been in such a place anyway, but that is another story, in which my family and I are in court as we speak against the state for what their CPS worker did when I was eight years old. One of the houseparents told me that I had to be put on birth control, (I was not sexually active at the time), or else I would not be allowed to go anywhere on my own while I stayed there. I gave in and she ordered the birth control: I took the birth control for a month and a half and cheeked the bitch for the remainder of the time there. She never knew it, either. Then she told me that once a girl comes to the Settlement, it would be hard for she to leave it; I often still wonder sometimes if the Settlement home gets "high money" per girl who stays there. No wonder it would be difficult for she to leave unless she runs away. One of the staff had gone to court exactly two weeks before I left the hell hole, two weeks before I turned eighteen. She tried to testify to make me look bad. She told the court all kinds of fake crap and a bunch of lies!! I couldn't believe it, but then again, they are the state employees, which explains why the CPS worker ten years prior to the date did what she did. HEY!! I was trying to get emancipated, which didn't make sense at the particular time because I turned eighteen two weeks later, in which, I still left the hell hole! She couldn't stop me and didn't! My over all opinion of this place is that you people can do better and don't chastise the girls for not having a loving home who want them, they didn't ask to be born. It's not their fault that they are in such a place. Oh, yes, birth control and prozac, they call it, are popular drugs with this home and they have you open your mouth to show them that you swallowed them, but....damn I am good! I cheeked that crap all of its days! Oh!...& there is no need to feel as though you have to threaten me to not tell others that a houseparent was seen at a refund raiser for GAY people...or I would get a "consequence". They forever used that threat. God be with us all!!!!

Update: I volunteered at HHH for so long because we eventually transitioned into the foster/adopt…read moreprogram as foster parents. Much later, we adopted our kids with their unwavering help. There is no way to explain how hard that process can be, but Helping Hand was the best partner that we could have asked for in the journey. They do their absolute best to ensure you can support the kids that you invite into your house, which is no easy feat. And they hold your hand when it is beyond hard. I highly recommend checking out if they are a right fit for your fostering experience.

I have volunteered at HHH for 6 months now, and each week I go to read to the kids here, I…read moreappreciate the care and effort the entire staff gives to protect, and assist each child here, more and more. This is an incredible haven for children to get the care, therapy, and consistency they need, and I am so grateful to have gotten connected with this volunteer opportunity.

Always a treasure hunt and wonderful service for a great cause! I hit up this place every time I'm…read morein Austin.

What can I say about the APA? I get literally 90% of my clothing here…read more The staff is always friendly, the finds are incredible and they're always running 50% off sales. Plus, you can earn rewards for every dollar you spend!! Anddd it all goes to helping the pets Oltorf is crowded but I usually find the most stuff here and there's Princess Peaches . Definitely check out all of their locations!

Austin Pets Alive! is near and dear to my heart because of the many animal lives they save. This…read morereview is a long time coming as I have many draft reviews that I am still working on getting posted. As the mother of a rescue dog who was going to be euthanized, I am 100% behind everything this thrift store stands for. In fact, every 6 months when I overhaul my closet, I donate A LOT of clothing, shoes, and accessories to the store in support of the cause. I also like to swing by as part of my North Loop jaunt (every few months, hit up North Loop stores and pubs---to include APA!) to make purchases. Found quite a few cute things here over the years not only for myself but friends and family. They've got an amazing selection of items and each time I pop in they seem to have loads more. Support this local shop in saving animal lives. Trust me, you will find something to buy!

When my aunt was alive every Christmas she would give me pieces of depression glass as a gift…read more These pieces were special to me because over the years she thrifted and amassed a fairly large collection. My collection has dwindled over the years through breakage. So I was thrifting looking for pink depression glass. The Burnet Road location is large, well organized with two-stories of items. It is filled with just about anything that you can imagine. Clothing...they have it! Shoes...they have it! Vintage items...they have it! Kitchen and house wears...they have it! Unfortunately, no pink depression glass. I will definitely return to thrift here due to their large selection of things. In addition, their prices are very reasonable. First stop Austin Pets Alive! - Burnet. I learned that all net sale proceeds go directly to support Austin Pets Alive!'s lifesaving programs for animals most at risk. Their clear mission is saving animals' lives, which is so heartwarming. According to staff, Austin Pets Alive! is known for pioneering innovative programs that help keep pets out of euthanasia and place them into loving homes. The Burnet Road location plays a critical role in sustaining those efforts by serving as a critical funding source for the organization's work across Central Texas.

Katherine Saldana She is one of the coldest people I've ever spoken to. She comes across as very…read morecondescending and impatient. If you don't immediately understand her question, she makes you feel unintelligent or small. I only spoke with her a few times over the phone, but every interaction left me feeling uncomfortable and dismissed.

Donate to them instead of scammy nonprofit businesses like Goodwill. They will use it for abuse…read moresurvivors not to resell Easy in and out donation the times I've been there. Remember to check their hours, not open all regular business work days but most

This company has many services, but I have used their lending closet on several occasions. Twice,…read morewhen my elderly relative was visiting and I needed things like a walker & other things. Fast forward to 2023 & I find myself in need of some things after breaking my ankle. After spending too much money on things and needing things that weren't so easy to find, I turned to these fine people at AGE for help. They provided me with the much needed elevated leg rests for my wheelchair and an extra walker bc it's not so easy to drag those things around when you're using a scooter. Cindy was the best! I'm very happy that they helped me when I needed it. They take donations, so if you have some unused medical equipment, check with them to see if there is a need. I know they work with some other organizations that provide similar services if they aren't accepting a particular item.

My mom has been going here for a couple months now, and we love it. She started going three days a…read moreweek and we recently switched to the full week because we noticed a positive change in her mood. She's made friends, and every day she comes home with some sort of craft she's worked on. It's also been really great knowing she's eaten a square and social meal. The staff is wonderful and very kind. It's been so great having this support for our family!

A great place to support small business entrepreneurs in the community. EGBI is the go to place…read morefrom the moment you are wondering about doing your own thing but do not know what; going thru the business case process; to after you after you launch your business but want to increase revenue. They would help you give form/reflect on your idea, teach you the basic business tools, connect you with financial institutions, help you draft the business case, and give you personalized 1x1 consulting/coaching to help you reach your entrepreneurial goals. Big kudos for Joni, Monica, Barbara and the rest of the team!

Permanently closed. Not open anymore. Check out others in the area like Pets Alive. Area is also…read moreunder construction, lots of business closed.

Treasure City Thrift recently moved into my neighborhood, so I finally stopped in to see what it…read morewas all about. On my first visit, I noticed they had a nice mix of clothing, shoes, glassware, and home décor, so I came back this weekend hoping to browse the clothing racks. I struck out on clothes this time around--not because they didn't have any, just because nothing in my size was quite my style, condition, or price point. That's thrifting, though. You never know what you're going to find, and sometimes the best score is in a completely different aisle. In my case, I walked out with a pair of vintage shoes in excellent condition for only $5, plus several beautiful glass pieces for next to nothing. I'd call that a successful trip! When I drove by on Sunday, they had boxes and boxes of free items out front with people happily digging through them. It was way too hot for me to join the hunt, but once the Texas weather cools off, I definitely will. This feels like one of those thrift stores that's worth stopping into regularly because the inventory is always changing, and you never know what treasure you'll find next.