City staff in Travis County, Texas are working hard every day to help the homeless. The single grant from the End Homelessness Coalition of Austin (ECHO) will enable families to access limited resources during low-income periods and help them cope with rising rents. These initiatives will provide immediate housing for those who are already connected to rent subsidies and support systems, but are unable to find a place to live. To end homelessness, resources from multiple sources are needed.
The City of Austin Housing Authority and the Travis County Housing Authority provide HUD housing vouchers to cover the cost of rent. Integral Care is also playing a key role in ensuring the local contribution required to use these vouchers. The 21 organizations chosen by Blue Sky Partners will participate in a needs assessment process to identify and prioritize organizational development needs and accelerate the expansion of Austin Homeless Response System organizations. You can also support these efforts by making all your Amazon purchases at Goodshop and choosing Texas Homeless Network as your charity.
THN will receive a percentage of all eligible purchases at no cost to you. The Homeless Outreach Street Team (HOST) is an innovative, collaborative initiative that operates in the center and the west campus area, and that occasionally helps other parts of the city address the needs of people who live on the street. There are also stricter municipal ordinances that prohibit homeless people from blocking sidewalks. The winners have been chosen to participate in this initiative with the objective of effectively expanding services, improving equity throughout the system, and supporting the integration of smaller or newer organizations led by minorities into the Austin Homeless Response System (HRS).
ECHO is leading this effort by planning and implementing community strategies to end homelessness in Austin and Travis County. The Austin Homeless Advisory Council (AHAC), formerly called the Austin Homeless Advisory Committee, is a group of approximately 15 people who have experienced homelessness in Austin.
