AUSTIN, Texas —
The Housing Authority of the City of Austin, or HACA, is working to help homeless veterans and others experiencing homelessness. The group recently announced more than $90 million in new housing vouchers.
Right now, the housing authority is asking for proposals to help 300 people and families. Of those, 100 are just for veterans and 200 are for others experiencing homelessness.
HACA is looking for proposals of current places that can take the vouchers and ideas to develop new properties.
HACA's CEO said the group is looking for more than just stable housing. It is also searching for resources nearby to help people stay on track.
“Too often, our homeless neighbors have lives. You know, really, you know, so separate and haven't been able to haven't seen the benefits of a community like Austin, where we have so many services and so many things that can that they can take advantage of to hopefully, you know, get off the streets and live in a safer environment, which I think is at the core of all that,” HACA CEO Mike Gerber said.
The vouchers will be attached to specific units in properties for a 20-year term.
“We're a great city. We're one of the coolest cities in the country. We do amazing things. There's no person in our city that shouldn't be able to tap into the resources here to have a safe, decent place to live, especially our homeless vets," Gerber said. "And so, we're really proud to be helping to address that issue this Veteran's Day and, frankly, every Veteran's Day until this problem is solved."
Those in need of help will be selected through a coordinated assessment with the housing authority's partners to determine who will get the units assigned to the vouchers. Individuals or families experiencing homelessness can apply through the community-wide coordinated entry system managed by the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO).
HACA is currently taking proposals for places until the end of the year. Then it will evaluate those and announce who will be selected sometime next spring.
This is all part of the $515 million “Finding Home ATX” effort to help find housing for 3,000 people.
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