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About Us

The Homeless Strategy Office (HSO) collaborates with agencies, community organizations, and individuals working to make homelessness rare, brief, and nonrecurring.​ 

To accomplish this mission, HSO develops strategies for City of Austin homeless services, works with existing community planning partners, provides direct outreach services, and contracts with community partners serving persons experiencing homelessness. ​

Our Community 

The Homeless Strategy Office proactively collaborates with organizations and community members to prevent and address homelessness in our city.  
 
We provide strategic initiatives, outreach efforts, and preventive measures to ensure our homeless neighbors receive essential support like food, shelter, and housing, empowering them to overcome challenges. Together with our partners, we work towards preventing and making homelessness rare, brief, and nonrecurring in our community.

Our Responsibilities

The Homeless Strategy Office was established on December 1, 2023, and serves as the focal point for compassionately addressing homelessness. 
 
The primary responsibilities of the HSO include:

  • Managing contracts for homelessness-related services with third-party vendors.

  • Overseeing operations at city-run homeless shelters.

  • Collaborating with city agencies and community organizations to expand housing options, including emergency shelters and permanent supportive housing.

  • Supervising public space management plans, including outreach and clean-up efforts.

  • Coordinating communications on the City's approach to homelessness with the Communications Office.

  • Managing relationships with local, state, and federal agencies through the Intergovernmental Relations Office.

  • Upholding best practices in collaboration with Austin/Travis County's Homelessness Response System partners.

  • Engaging with local businesses and philanthropic groups to support homeless response services. 

Public Initiatives

In caring for public spaces like roads, bridges, parks, and city-owned land, we strive to meet everyone's needs. The City collaborates across departments to manage campsites with a focus on health, safety, and respect for individuals. Decisions to clean up or close sites are made to protect public health and safety. Currently, there's a shortage of emergency housing for those without homes. When campsites are closed and people have nowhere else to go, they may move to less accessible or less visible areas or return to closed sites. Until more emergency housing becomes available, our community may continue to experience encampments.

Homelessness Prevention

The City and its partners are committed to helping renters and homeowners remain in their homes. They are implementing new initiatives alongside existing safety net programs to prevent homelessness before it occurs.

A wide array of efforts to prevent housing crises from occurring and to prevent people who face such crises from experiencing homelessness. Such as activities that:​

  • Reduce the prevalence of risk of housing crises within communities.

  • Reduce the risk of homelessness while households are engaged with or are transitioning from systems​.

  • Target assistance to prevent housing crises that do occur from escalating further and resulting in homelessness.​

Past Projects and Accomplishments

Austin’s emergency shelters and permanent supportive housing perform better than the national average for major cities. Additionally, we anticipate a 300% increase in permanent supportive housing this calendar year.

  • The number of permanent supportive housing units is projected to grow by 630% by 2026, resulting in over 1,000 new units.

  • Over 98% of tenants who complete a permanent supportive housing program in Austin achieve successful outcomes, surpassing national standards.

  • In Fiscal Year 2023, 3,324 clients utilized our shelter services, marking a record-breaking number. In 2024, we are offering more shelter opportunities for our Austin community than ever before.

  • We exceed the national average of major cities in the percentage of clients successfully transitioning out of shelters. 

2020 COVID Response Accomplishments and Projects:

  • Grant planning for additional Emergency Solutions Grant – COVID funds.

  • City purchased 2 hotels (Rodeway and Country Inn) to serve as COVID Protection Lodges

  • Provided hygiene and basic needs services to unsheltered homeless.

  • Implemented Eating Apart Together Initiative (EAT)  

2021 Accomplishments and Projects:

  • Started the Bridge Shelters

  • Finding Home ATX

  • Planning for additional American Rescue Plan Act funds

  • Sanctioned encampment analysis

  • Provided feedback and planning around reinstituting the Camping Ban

  • Implementation of HEAL Initiative  

2022 Accomplishments and Projects:

  • Homeless Encampment Management tool (HEM) or Mobile assessment tool

  • Created new unit to administer the ARPA funded contracts.

  • Began emergency contracts for shelter.

  • Developed funding for Cold Weather Shelter vendor.

  • Community Stakeholder Updates

  • Continuation of HEAL (Housing-Focused Encampment Assistance Link)  

2023 Accomplishments and Projects:

  • Targeted Prevention solicitation

  • Continuation of HEAL

  • Marshalling Yard solicitation and standup of temporary shelter.

  • Bridge Shelter solicitation

  • Conducted system-wide Shelter Assessment

  • Human Trafficking training

  • Capacity Building initiative

  • Creation of new, stand-alone Homeless Strategy Office