It's not always easy to know how to help, but the holiday season is the perfect time to find out.
The first step is learning all the ways that you can. Those without houses in Austin often find themselves in need of a helping hand, whether that's clothes, food, shelter, or just a smile and some compassion. And with continued efforts around the city to effectively remove these people's houses, this has never been more important. Here are some of the ways that you can Help Our Unhoused Neighbors in Austin.
NOTE: We also created a Food Pantries page with resources for the holiday season and how you can help while SNAP benefits are paused.
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photo via facebook
The Other Ones Foundation is a local nonprofit that offers emergency shelter, extremely low-barrier work opportunities, and supportive services to people experiencing homelessness here in Austin. If you are interested in volunteering they are currently looking for members to join their board of directors. Click here to apply, as well as explore other volunteer opportunities. You can also find out more about donating here.
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Photo via Facebook
The mission of mutual aid is simple: to organize on a grassroots level and redistribute supplies and donations to those who need them. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the biggest civil rights movements in history, and an increasingly polarizing political system, the fact that change must start on the ground and within communities has never been more apparent. Several mutual aid groups have been created in Austin and facilitate the redistribution of supplies, food, and more to those in need. You can support these groups through donations and volunteering. One of these operating locally is @austinmutualaid. Follow them on social to learn how you can participate in collective care.
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Photo via Facebook
The mission of Caritas of Austin is to end and prevent homelessness in the city by making sure people have a safe home, access to healthy groceries, jobs that provide a reliable living wage, and educational opportunities to learn life skills. Their multi-layered approach to tackling the issue of homelessness means they need all the help they can get. Some simple but impactful ways to volunteer are serving lunch at their community kitchen, assisting with apartment setups, and helping with donation deliveries and pick-ups. You can also help by giving something found on their wishlist.
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"Creation of the Animals" by Jesus Polanco
Art from the Streets is an organization that supports those experiencing houselessness by allowing them studio space and materials to express themselves artistically. The best part? They also facilitate the sale of this art and the proceeds go directly to the creator. You can make a difference by purchasing from their catalog of art, making a donation, or volunteering.
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Photo via Facebook
Battling the hunger and poverty that goes alongside houselessness, Foundation for the Homeless works to provide meals to those in need, in addition to other limited services like medical screenings, eyeglasses, and more. They have safety protocols in place for volunteering, which include following current CDC guidelines, asking volunteers to be vaccinated, and wearing masks.
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photo via sunrise homeless navigation center
Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center is the largest provider of homeless services in Travis County. They offer pathways to housing for people experiencing homelessness through low-barrier access to wraparound services by providing innovative, trauma-informed, and person-centered programming that leads to system-wide transformation. Sunrise creates a fully integrated model of care along with a variety of community partners which include humanitarian aid, mental health care, physical healthcare, harm reduction, substance abuse care, housing interventions, benefits enrollment, and more!
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Photo via Facebook
Green Doors creates affordable and safe housing for those recently experiencing houselessness. Additionally, they also offer supportive services to aid and prevent houselessness and those at risk for houselessness. You can volunteer in a variety of ways, including helping with yard work at homes, distributing food at their food pantry, and more.
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General Tips
- In the summer heat, freeze water bottles, bring them along when you travel in your car, and hand them out to your unhoused neighbors who are exposed to extreme temperatures for hours a day.
- In the winter cold, hand warmers are a great item to keep in your car to give to those facing low temperatures.
- If you usually find yourself wishing you had cash, create a habit of occasionally withdrawing cash, breaking the larger bills, and keeping it on you for when you want to distribute.
- If you are approached by someone in need while walking into a store but don't have cash, consider offering to purchase them something while inside.
- You can always ask somebody's name, and what they need, and return later in the day with any items you don't already have with you.
- Other great care items to pack: SOCKS!!!, snacks, face masks, body wipes, lanterns, period products, bug spray, condoms, hand sanitizer, deodorant, garbage bags, chapstick, nail clippers, gift cards, and anything else you can think of.
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