AUSTIN, Texas — The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is helping nonprofits in Travis County with their response to homelessness.
HUD is sending nearly $14 million to Austin and Travis County to help address homelessness. It’s $2 million more than last year and the largest amount our area has ever received for homeless services.
The money will provide housing and supportive services to unhoused people.
The grant will fund 16 different projects across eight local organizations. Among them, three new permanent housing developments will help youth domestic violence survivors and people with serious mental illness.
The money comes as Austin expands its efforts to address homelessness. On Thursday, Austin City Council approved a new 10-year plan that calls for more than 4,000 new housing units and more than 500 additional shelter beds.
The money will also help provide services like health care and case management to ensure people stay housed long-term.
The organizations receiving funding include:
- Caritas of Austin
- Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO)
- Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA)
- Housing Authority of Travis County (HATC)
- Integral Care
- LifeWorks
- The SAFE Alliance
- Sunrise Community Church (Sunrise Navigation Center)
“We are grateful to all of the agencies funded by the Continuum of Care grant who work tirelessly and passionately to meet the needs of our unhoused neighbors,” said ECHO Vice President of Homelessness Response System Strategy Kate Moore. “Federal funding from HUD, through the Continuum of Care grant, ensures essential services can continue in our homelessness response system and that can’t happen without our community partners. In addition, the new funding to Lifeworks, Integral Care and the SAFE Alliance will house and support hundreds of people who are the most vulnerable in our unsheltered community in PSH projects throughout the Austin/Travis County community.”
The awards to Austin and Travis County providers are part of the nearly $3.6 billion in assistance HUD will provide to communities across the country this fiscal year.
“We are grateful to HUD for recognizing the critical work being done by local organizations to address homelessness in Austin,” said Austin Mayor Kirk Watson. “This funding for community organizations will provide essential support to help meet the immediate needs of individuals experiencing homelessness while also supporting housing solutions. These federal resources strengthen our local initiatives to ensure that more people have access to the support they need to thrive. I want to thank former Acting HUD Secretary Adrianne Todman for supporting Austin’s homeless response efforts. And I look forward to working with HUD Secretary nominee Scott Turner, who knows Texas and knows first-hand what can be accomplished when we work together.”