Written by: Jayne R
Edited by: Analisa F
Are you homeless for the first time and in need of some supportive help, or maybe it’s not your first time being homeless but your first time looking for help? Luckily, Austin has quite a few non-profits that are dedicated to helping the homeless.
What is a “non-profit” you may ask? According to the National Council of Nonprofits, “America’s 1.3 million charitable nonprofits feed, heal, shelter, educate, inspire, enlighten, and nurture people of every age, gender, race, and socioeconomic status, from coast to coast, border to border, and beyond. They foster civic engagement and leadership, drive economic growth, and strengthen the fabric of our communities.”
Caritas of Austin provides countless services for the homeless. They offer housing programs, which includes three types of options. The first one is permanent supportive housing which provides “housing, onsite supportive services, and mental health counseling for disabled individuals experiencing long-term homelessness.”
The second program is called housing stability, which offers rehousing services to those who recently lost their home to an expected crisis. Lastly, they offer a youth housing program to those who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless.
Caritas also has a food program for the homeless, community kitchen and pantry. The Community Kitchen serves free lunch Mondays through Fridays to individuals who are in need of food. The food pantry provides groceries to struggling clients.
Not only does Caritas provide food and housing services, but they also offer education classes, employment, and veterans assistance.
Front Steps offers many services from shelter to affordable housing. Their shelter is known as The ARCH and is located downtown off of 7th and Neches. The ARCH provides “information on how and where to access a wide range of services, and where basic services such as restrooms, showers, lockers, laundry, internet access, and mail pick up are provided daily.”
Front Steps also has a service called Recuperative Care Program which provides nursing care to those who no longer qualify to be in a hospital, but shouldn’t be on the streets either.
Another service Front Steps provides is Support Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) and Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program (HVRP). SSVF “provides short term, rapid rehousing assistance with intensive case management to very low-income veteran families to obtain stable permanent housing.” HVRP is meant to help veterans obtain a job and provide housing for veteran households.
Besides offering services in shelter, housing, veterans, and medical care, Front Steps also helps with case management.
OTHER RESOURCES?
Don’t worry, Caritas and Front Doors aren’t the only non-profits in Austin that offer services to the homeless. Here is a list of the other non-profits that can help you through your transition:
- Goodwill of Central Texas
- Integral Care
- Mobile Loaves and Fishes
- SAFE
- Salvation Army Austin
- United Way for Greater Austin
Tags; Homeless, Austin, Texas, Nonprofits