Today we’d like to introduce you to LaChica King.
Hi LaChica, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My journey to founding Healthy H.E.A.R.T.S. was born from both purpose and personal experience. I am a U.S. Army veteran, a wife, a mother, and someone who has experienced firsthand the effects of trauma, homelessness, rejection, and abuse. Those experiences could have defined my life, but instead they became the foundation for my calling to serve others.
After leaving the military as a Medical Specialist, I became a single mother and dedicated my life to helping people in crisis. For more than two decades, I have personally served many young women and families, along with various community partners, connecting individuals and families with food, housing resources, emergency assistance, and support services. Throughout those years, I noticed the same heartbreaking pattern: many young women aging out of foster care, women veterans transitioning back to civilian life, and single parents were falling through the cracks because they lacked stable support systems.
God placed a vision on my heart that grew stronger with every family I served. In 2024, I founded Healthy H.E.A.R.T.S. (Healing, Encouraging, and Restoring Troubled Spirits), to provide more than temporary assistance. I wanted to create a place where young women could heal emotionally, grow spiritually, develop life skills, and build the confidence and stability needed to thrive independently.
Today, Healthy H.E.A.R.T.S. is working to launch its first transitional housing program for young women ages 18 to 21 who have aged out of foster care, while also providing crisis stabilization services for veteran women and single parents. Although we are still in the early stages of building the organization, every step has been guided by faith, perseverance, and an unwavering belief that every person deserves hope, dignity, and the opportunity to rewrite their story.
When I look back, I realize that every challenge I endured was preparing me for this work. My mission has never simply been to provide housing or resources, it is to help restore lives, one heart at a time. My hope is that Healthy H.E.A.R.T.S. becomes a model of compassionate, trauma-informed care that not only transforms lives across Texas but inspires communities throughout the country to invest in people and create lasting change.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has definitely not been a smooth road, but every challenge has strengthened my resolve and reaffirmed why Healthy H.E.A.R.T.S. exists.
Like many nonprofit founders, one of the biggest obstacles has been turning a vision into reality with limited resources. Building an organization from the ground up requires faith, patience, and persistence. There have been moments when funding was scarce, doors didn’t open as expected, and I questioned how I would continue moving the mission forward. Yet, each setback reminded me that meaningful change rarely happens overnight.
The most immediate challenge is insufficient funding. Without the financial resources to secure permanent housing and fully staff the program, I would be unable to serve the young women counting on me, which is not something I’m willing to accept lightly.
Another challenge has been helping people understand that Healthy H.E.A.R.T.S. is about more than providing temporary assistance. We are building a long-term solution that combines safe housing, trauma-informed support, life skills, mentorship, and hope to help young women create lasting independence. Educating the community, building partnerships, and earning trust all take time.
Despite the challenges, I wouldn’t change the journey. Every obstacle has refined my leadership, strengthened my faith, and reminded me that this work is bigger than me. Watching people believe in the vision and come alongside the mission has been one of the greatest rewards, and it motivates me to keep building a future where every young woman has the opportunity to heal, grow, and thrive.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Throughout my career, I have always been drawn to work that serves people during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. Whether serving as a U.S. Army Medical Specialist, working alongside nonprofit organizations and community partners, or leading Healthy H.E.A.R.T.S., my passion has remained the same – to help people move from surviving to thriving.
Today, I serve as the Founder and Executive Director of Healthy H.E.A.R.T.S. (Healing, Encouraging, and Restoring Troubled Spirits), a faith-based nonprofit dedicated to empowering young women aging out of foster care, veteran women transitioning back to civilian life, and single parents facing crisis. I specialize in building trauma-informed programs that address not only immediate needs such as housing and emergency support but also the long-term emotional, educational, financial, and personal development necessary for lasting independence.
What I am most proud of isn’t a title or an award; it’s the lives that have been impacted through compassion, advocacy, and genuine human connection. Over the past two decades, I have had the privilege of helping individuals and families access resources, find hope, and believe in themselves again. Those moments remind me why I answered this calling.
I believe what sets me apart is that I don’t lead this mission from the outside looking in. I understand many of the struggles our participants face because I have experienced adversity myself. My lived experiences have given me empathy, resilience, and a deep commitment to creating solutions that restore dignity rather than simply provide temporary relief.
In many ways, I already consider myself successful because I have overcome profound personal adversity and achieved goals I once only dreamed were possible. That foundation fuels everything I do today. Leadership, to me, is not measured by titles or recognition but by the lives that are transformed because someone chose to care.
One year from now, success will look like watching the young women in our program embrace healthier lifestyles, develop confidence, and begin to see a future for themselves that once felt impossible. Seeing the vision God placed in my heart come alive through their lives would bring me unspeakable joy.
Beyond that, my dream is to secure the permanent homes and apartment communities needed to sustain these programs for generations to come. The places where young women can heal, grow, and thrive long after I’m gone. I want Healthy H.E.A.R.T.S. to become more than a nonprofit; I want it to become a nationally recognized, proven model that other communities can replicate to help close the gap for young women aging out of foster care across the country.
If my life’s work inspires others to invest in people and reminds even one young woman that her past does not determine her future, then I will know I have fulfilled the purpose God placed on my life, and I will know my labor was not in vain.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
If I had to choose one quality that has been most important to my success, it would be perseverance. Life has taught me that purpose isn’t proven when everything is going well. It’s revealed when you refuse to give up despite disappointment, setbacks, or adversity.
There were seasons when it would have been easier to walk away from my dreams, but my faith reminded me that every challenge was preparing me for something greater. I have learned to trust God’s timing, even when I couldn’t see the outcome, and to keep moving forward one step at a time.
Perseverance has also shaped the way I lead. I don’t expect perfection from myself or from the young women we serve. I simply encourage them to keep getting back up. Healing is a journey, and growth happens one decision, one opportunity, and one act of courage at a time.
I also believe compassion is essential. It’s one thing to serve people, but it’s another to truly see them, listen to them, and walk alongside them without judgment. Because I’ve experienced hardship myself, I understand the importance of meeting people with grace, dignity, and hope.
At the end of the day, I hope people remember me not for the organization I built, but for the lives I helped restore. If my perseverance encourages someone else to believe they can overcome their circumstances, then every challenge I’ve faced has been worth it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://healthyheartstx.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/healthyheartstx
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/HealthyHEARTSTexas
