Latest news with #VocalTexas
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Vocal Texas calls on city of Austin to provide better resources, affordable housing for homeless
The Brief A nonprofit is calling on the city to provide better resources and affordable housing for the homeless. Vocal Texas has started a petition and so far has collected hundreds of signatures. The organization plans to present their petition to the city by May. AUSTIN, Texas - Vocal Texas is calling on the city of Austin to provide better resources and affordable housing for the homeless. The nonprofit has started a petition and so far has collected hundreds of signatures. What we know Vocal Texas was joined by a group of homeless individuals at a rally in downtown Austin. Those gathered were "vocal" about their concern about affordable housing in Austin and the many roadblocks those seeking shelter face. What they're saying " I came to stay with a family member that didn't work out, went to the streets and was looking for resources in the city. I heard it was a great city, and ran into so many roadblocks along the way ", said Maurika Smith. Smith is currently homeless with a master's degree and says being homeless is a difficult cycle to get out of. "People think, oh, being homeless, oh you should be, okay, you don't have any bills, you don' have anything to worry about, you can go work. You know, I have all my limbs, they all work, I should be able to go find a job. I have degrees. Well, it's not that easy. You need stability. And what provides stability? Having a home," said Smith. Dig deeper This month, the City of Austin's Homeless Strategy Office announced a collaboration with the nonprofit organization Housing Connector to match those in need with vacant homes. This comes after the city received nearly $2 million in funding last year. City of Austin prioritizing funding for homeless response Proposed Texas law would crack down on cities not enforcing state homeless camping ban Marshalling Yard temporary shelter funded through September 2025 A portion of those funds are also being used for the Housing Barrier Reduction Program, which offers financial support to those that earn less than $21,000 a year. In October, the Homeless Strategy Office reported that there are close to 6,600 homeless people in the City of Austin. What they're saying Vocal Texas co-director Paulette Soltani argues more needs to be done. "There was a recent study that came out. In the last month that highlighted that Austin was kind of leading the nation in developing affordable housing. And what folks here in our space talked about was that they aren't seeing any of those units," said Soltani. "A lot of people can't even get through the door to a housing application because criminal histories block them from even having that opportunity and so we're hoping to work with the city to ensure that there's an improvement," Soltani added. What's next Vocal Texas has created a petition aiming to bring the numbers of homeless persons in Austin down. "We have over 500 petition signatures right now of people who are unhoused, who are impacted by this criminal history issue and also by the lack of affordable housing. We'll be delivering that petition to our city leaders soon and continuing to push forward to find the policy solutions that we know the city can be responsible for," said Soltani. The organization plans to present their petition to the city by May. The Source Information in this report comes from reporting/interviews from FOX 7 Austin's Tan Radford.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
City of Austin prioritizing funding for homeless response
The Brief City of Austin said it is committed to finding funding to tackle homelessness According to a resolution, the city needs about $350 million over the next 10 years AUSTIN, Texas - Austin City Council held its first meeting of the year. One of their commitments is finding funding to tackle homelessness for the next decade. The backstory Austin City Council passed a resolution directing the city manager to look at funding sources. According to the resolution, the city needs about $350 million over the next 10 years. "We need our federal and state partners on board as well. This is a community-wide crisis that will take the entire community to solve," Matt Mollica, executive director of ECHO, said. American Rescue Plan funding, also known as the COVID stimulus package, is encumbered. The city also needs to work through which programs use other federal funding sources and how what's happening in Washington will affect that. "Even with the confusion at the federal level regarding our grant funding and funding programs and offerings at the federal level, it really underscores why the time is critical now for us to act," Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes said. The resolution says the cost for funding rapid rehousing and emergency shelters is about $15.4 million per year. Austin has a higher rate of homelessness than other cities. "Unfortunately, the number of people entering our system outpaces the number of people exiting," Fuentes said. State Sen. Sarah Eckhardt (D-Austin) says she's brainstorming options. "We should look at all state properties within the city of Austin and within Travis County that would be appropriate for repurposing or co-locating deeply affordable housing," she said. Local perspective Alfredo Reyes of Vocal Texas shared his story. His first step off the street came after hearing about a cold weather shelter. "I'm a U.S. veteran, and I was homeless for seven and a half years. For most of that time I slept on a bridge near the airport," he said. "I got connected with services. I got rapid rehousing, then got a voucher and I got housing. Then I got a job with Vocal Texas, and now I'm moving into my new house on February 1." Reyes hopes others can get help like he did. "I'm one of the lucky ones. You know, there's a lot of other people out there on the street. It's hard to find help when you need it," he said. The Source Information from Austin City Council meeting
