Sleep in Heavenly Peace plans new Gatesville chapter for Coryell County children
Roughly 380 to 570 Coryell County children could be sleeping without beds, and a new Gatesville chapter is trying to close that gap.
Coryell County’s bedlessness problem is big enough to count in school-bus loads: the county had an estimated 85,592 residents as of July 1, 2025, and 22.1% were under 18, or about 18,916 children. Using Sleep in Heavenly Peace’s own estimate that 2% to 3% of children lack a bed of their own, that points to roughly 380 to 570 local children who could be sleeping on floors, couches or shared mattresses while Gatesville prepares to become the next outpost for the national bed-building nonprofit.
Sleep in Heavenly Peace says it is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with more than 200 local chapters nationwide, and its application page makes clear that help is limited to zip codes served by active chapters. To qualify, a child must be ages 3 to 17, the guardian or referring school, social service agency, family member or other local agency must submit the online application, the family must live in a covered zip code, have room for a twin-size bed, and be reachable by phone, text or email. If an application is approved, an indemnification release form is required before delivery. The group also says it cannot guarantee every applicant a bed and fills requests only as supplies and donations allow.
That delivery model is volunteer-heavy from start to finish. Local teams build handmade twin beds from donated wood and materials, then deliver them with a mattress kit, comforter or bed-in-a-bag, pillow and sheet set. Sleep in Heavenly Peace said in its late-December 2024 review that it delivered beds to 73,978 children in 2024, bringing its total to 250,000 children served since 2012 and more than 1 million applications received. The organization also says in-kind donations such as twin bedding, wood and tools help offset operating costs and keep chapters building more beds.
In Gatesville, organizer Marcia Strieber said a core team was already forming as the chapter geared up for an August start and a later countywide expansion. The group was also visible at the Gatesville Shivaree on Saturday, June 6, where the Gatesville Chamber of Commerce scheduled vendors, food trucks, a kid zone, an evening concert and road closures around the courthouse from 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. That local push matters because SHP’s application rules tie access to active chapter zip codes, so families in parts of Coryell County outside the new Gatesville footprint will still be looking to Waco or Bell County until the chapter map grows.
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