We need fierce commitment to end homelessness

With the holidays approaching, many Austin families are planning parties and writing shopping lists. It’s also the time of year when people volunteer at a shelter to serve a Thanksgiving meal and do their part to help those less fortunate. We recognize Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week November 10 to 18 to build empathy for people experiencing homelessness but even moreso, to create a community that is fiercely committed to making homelessness rare, short and one-time.

Austin voters have delivered an early gift to all of us by passing the historic $250 million bonds for affordable housing. We expect this money to help create housing communities that welcome people with low income and with disabilities -- two characteristics shared by people experiencing chronic homelessness.

In 2018 over 2,100 individuals in Austin were counted as homeless on a single night. Too often, people in Austin don’t understand the circumstances surrounding the homeless population in our city. Surveys taken in 2015 and 2016 of 4,700 homeless people found that 62 percent reported having endured abuse or trauma in their lives and 29 percent were domestic violence survivors. Some people experiencing homelessness battle cancer. Some have grandchildren. All are Austin neighbors and most are stuck waiting for help.

Some people see the folks under bridges and downtown and conclude that nothing is being done about the homeless in Austin. On the contrary, Austin is home to both award-winning programs as well as innovative models like Community First, Housing First Oaks Springs and Pay for Success that have earned Austin respect from communities across the country. Dozens of nonprofits implement solutions every day to connect the homeless to housing, healthcare, jobs and other services.

The Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) and numerous partner organizations have produced the Action Plan to End Homelessness, which outlines strategies to end a person’s homelessness, from outreach to the services needed to help people stabilize in their homes. We’ve launched a program to end youth homelessness by 2020. And we’re on track to implement a new funding model called "pay for success" that uses private investment to scale up supportive housing for the chronically homeless by the new year. If programs deliver a reduction in related public costs, local government will pay for the successful outcome. If the programs don’t deliver success, the government doesn’t pay. The St. David’s Foundation is helping bring this model to Austin.

Here’s a snapshot of the work homelessness providers are doing in Austin every day:

The city, county and many churches provide financial assistance to prevent evictions and keep families from becoming homeless. Outreach teams find people on the streets and offer help and referrals to meet immediate needs. Folks are assessed to help determine level of need and create a housing plan. In the meantime, organizations provide shelter, food, case management, employment services, and healthcare. Service providers like SAFE, Lifeworks, Integral Care, Caritas of Austin, Family Eldercare, Salvation Army, Trinity Center and Front Steps help get people into housing as quickly as possible, and once they do, they make sure people have what they need to maintain stable living situations. Apartment owners are stepping up to make units available all over Austin. Many other partners like Mobile Loaves and Fishes are expanding to meet the great need in Austin.

This coalition has momentum and the system works well for some, but we know too many people are still suffering on the streets and waiting far too long for help. Please consider how you might help increase community support for solving homelessness – make financial contributions to the organizations mentioned above, offer rental housing to the cause or support policy decisions that facilitate housing development.

With your commitment we can build an Austin that is fiercely dedicated to ending homelessness.

Howard is the executive director of ECHO.