Austin Residents Invited To Help End Homelessness

AUSTIN, TX — The City of Austin is launching its first "Week of Action To End Homelessness," a seven-day campaign engaging the public to help address the challenge.

Starting Thursday, the week will focus on a different theme each day, enabling Austin residents to choose an action that is accessible and meaningful to them, officials explained in an advisory. Organizers will provide tools to help participants rally around calls for a community that values everyone in Austin – while providing practical information to support those who want to make a difference. Examples of ways in which people can participate include:

• Making car packs with water and shelf-stable food, or hygiene packs with soap, toothpaste/brush, wipes and deodorants, for distribution to people who need them.
• Writing stories or creating art that engages the community and builds commitment to ending homelessness.
• Equipping friends and neighbors with the information they need to effect change.
• Making the donation of time, money, perspective, or talent.
• Sharing actions and impacts with their networks, including on social media using the hashtag #HelpNotHide, expanding the audience and increasing potential participants.

“Even during a pandemic, every person can act in their own way to help end homelessness,” City of Austin Assistant City Manager Chris Shorter said in a prepared statement. “Whether you are a long-time activist or just finding your voice, you can be part of the movement to make Austin a safe, caring, and thriving community for all.”

Austin has continued making strides to address homelessness, as evidenced by a new interactive tool launched earlier this month. The Austin Homelessness Dashboard, developed to help the community better understand the needs of its homeless neighbors, as well as the impacts of efforts to help them, highlights the following achievements:

• 4,255 people were sheltered in 2018, the latest year for which figures are available – up by 186 from the previous year.
• 2,458 people were housed in 2018 – up by 205 from the previous year.
• 2,000 beds were made available in 2019 – up by 354 from the previous year.

On Aug. 13, Austin City Council strengthened the City’s commitment to end homelessness in Austin by adopting a Fiscal Year 2020-21 Budget that included more than $60 million for housing displacement prevention, crisis mitigation, and re-empowerment efforts. A new P3 Homelessness Task Force has been stood up to help boost the community’s crisis response and expand housing capacity, including through prevention and diversion, emergency shelter, rapid rehousing, and permanent supportive housing.

Nevertheless, officials noted, concerns have been raised that the number of people sleeping on the streets could rise over the next few months, amid fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. Protections against eviction have been put in place by the Austin Mayor to help stem the tide of people losing their homes.

And last week the City announced the Relief of Emergency Needs for Tenants (RENT) Assistance Program to provide $12.9 million of rental assistance for Austin renters financially impacted by COVID-19. But with local unemployment rates reaching a record high during the pandemic, the longer-term impact on families struggling to keep a roof over their heads is yet to be fully understood.

“Many community members, who just a few short months ago saw homelessness as a human tragedy in desperate need of a solution, are now struggling to make ends meet themselves and are at risk of homelessness becoming their own personal reality,” Shorter said. The Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO), which coordinates the city’s homelessness response, said the challenges underlined the importance of bringing the community together behind a shared vision for ending homelessness.

“Now more than ever people experiencing homelessness in our community need our help. Homelessness is a traumatic event for those who experience it in their lifetimes,” Matt Mollica, executive director of ECHO, said in a prepared statement. “It is incumbent on those of us who have access to housing to step up and affirm the dignity of those who do not, and to continue to advocate for housing as a basic human right.

Schedule for the Week of Action:

• Thursday, 8/27 - Prepare for the Week of Action
• Friday, 8/28 - Learn about homelessness in our community
• Saturday, 8/29 - Create something to help end homelessness
• Sunday, 8/30 - Share what you have created
• Monday, 8/31 - Call on our community to take action
• Tuesday, 9/1 - Give what you can to keep momentum going
• Wednesday, 9/2 - Thank the helpers all around us

For more information and resources about the Week of Action visit the city's "Get Involved" portal. To share ideas, actions, and impact, visit the "Week of Action to Support Ending Homelessness" site. For more details email Lara.Foss@austintexas.gov or call (512) 974-7969.