WRITTEN BY Bek Mitchell-Kidd
There are many factors contributing to homelessness including insufficient healthcare services, unemployment, and racial disparities. A lack of affordable housing options combined with stagnant wages leaves stable housing out of reach for many. We’re highlighting a few non-profit organizations in Austin that are true agents for change, and the best ways you can support them.
The Other Ones
The Other Ones Foundation (TOOF) was born out of a desire to find new approaches to serving Austin’s homeless community. TOOF took a deep dive interviewing in encampments, asking unhoused people what they felt was missing from the homelessness response system.
TOOF’s most common finding is that people feel directionless and disempowered to connect with their community during the day, while waiting to get into shelters or access other services. This gave way to the Workforce First Program, which offers unhoused people an extremely low-barrier opportunity to get a day’s work.
The dignity and empowerment of working in a group setting and giving back to your community, complemented by income and case management, serves as a major stepping stone to getting our homeless friends on the path to a more fulfilling life.
TOOF also offers a Mobile Hygiene Clinic, a fleet of shower trailers that drives around town delivering showers, toiletries, and lunches.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Donate money or hygiene supplies, or consider volunteer opportunities with the organization.
toofound.org
Art From the Streets
Art From the Streets (AFTS) seeks to address the effects of homelessness through daily practice in a learning environment, with support from positive role models, to help foster new, positive, and creative habits.
The mission of AFTS is to provide a safe and encouraging environment in which the positive spirit and creativity for those experiencing homelessness are nurtured through their own artistic expression.
These artistic endeavors form a pathway to self-determination by means of the sense of achievement, social connections, and income generated through the pursuit of their art. AFTS learned that focusing on housing alone does not achieve other equally important goals that are relevant and motivating to improving and sustaining a quality of life. Focusing on other goals can keep people hopeful, confident, and productive as they work toward access to limited housing options.
Artists connect with fellow artists, volunteers, and customers in the community—and when people connect with a broader community, they can uncover resources such as jobs, housing, and support networks beyond the homelessness system.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Make a monetary donation, create an Art Kit to be distributed through organizations across the area that support homeless individuals, buy from the merchandise collection, or volunteer your time.
artfromthestreets.org
ECHO
The Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) is a nonprofit organization and is the lead agency that plans and implements community-wide strategies to end homelessness in Austin and Travis County.
Considered the backbone for the homeless services system, ECHO works closely with nonprofits and government agencies to coordinate assistance and housing for people experiencing homelessness in the community.
ECHO works with both local and regional policymakers to scale-up housing resources to ensure people receive the support they need to exit homelessness. ECHO advocates for adequate funding and policies to address homelessness, and aims to increase public awareness on the issue of homelessness.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Consider a monetary donation or volunteer for advocacy work.
austinecho.org
Caritas of Austin
Caritas of Austin believes that when every person has a stable place to call home, they can realize their full potential and contribute to the community. The organization builds “well-being” by making sure that people have a safe home, access to healthy groceries, jobs that provide a reliable living wage, and educational opportunities to learn life skills.
All of us need a sturdy foundation and layers of support in our lives to thrive; that’s what creates a strong community. Caritas of Austin’s innovative, personalized, and proven approach to help end homelessness also helps create a more vibrant Austin for everyone. The organization aims to make homelessness rare, brief, and nonrecurring in Central Texas.
Caritas of Austin is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion, with a focus on fairness and impartiality in the way services are provided.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Host a food drive, work with clients directly to provide support and resources, serve lunch at the community kitchen, and consider other volunteer opportunities.
caritasofaustin.org
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