Here’s a list of Texas organizations that are helping the homeless

Hey, Texplainer — how can Texans help solve homelessness?

Gov. Greg Abbott has waged a social media war this year with Austin officials over homelessness in the state capital. He then tapped state resources to clean up encampments under highway overpasses and provide land where people experiencing homelessness can camp. The ongoing feud and government responses to homelessness have brought the issue to the forefront of public discussion.

Experts say three ways Texans can help their homeless neighbors are to focus one at a time on issues that a homeless person is experiencing, to challenge perspectives that stigmatize homelessness, and to reach out to local organizations to see what help they need.

We’ve compiled ways big and small to help homeless Texans — and a list of organizations that can further direct people in major urban areas where their help is needed the most.

Hone in on one cause

Helping people experiencing homelessness works best when trying to fix one of their challenges, such as accessing adequate health care or securing housing, said Thao Costis, CEO of Search Homeless Services in Houston.

“When you try to be everything to everybody, you basically just aren't very good at any particular thing,” Costis said.

Traditional approaches to helping people experiencing homelessness, such as organizing soup kitchens or donating clothing, are less likely to help solve “chronic homelessness” because they treat the symptom and not the underlying problem.

Costis said seeking experts in the areas that are most needed, like finding low-income housing and connecting people to employment services, will take less effort and will produce the best results.

Many groups combatting homelessness have adopted a “housing first” approach, which calls for providing housing before moving on to addiction recovery and medical services.

Mike Nichols, interim CEO for the Coalition of the Homeless in Houston, said securing housing for people experiencing homelessness kept 85% of those helped off the streets.

“We house them in permanent supportive housing … because we believe that housing somebody is the first step to ending homelessness,” Nichols said. “Housing them with wraparound services, social services, psychological services, medical services is a needed step.”

Change the public mindset

Although donations are appreciated, changing the public’s view of homelessness will have the biggest impact, said Matthew Mollica, executive director of the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition in Austin.

“We just really aren't doing a great job of having these difficult conversations. It's so polarizing, and people are so unwilling to engage with different points of view right now,” Mollica said. “That's not going to get us towards the solution.”

Complacency is just as powerful as the passionate rhetoric spouted by Texas officials, said Blake Fetterman, executive director for the Salvation Army’s Carr P. Collins Center in Dallas. Texans hoping to solve homelessness in their communities must be willing to test solutions that are closer to their homes.

“We need people that are willing to say, ‘Yeah, I'm willing to give this a shot in my backyard,” Fetterman said. “Whether that's the development of affordable housing in their community, whether that's the development of a shelter in their community, but we need more people saying yes.”

Look for places to help

The state set aside $6.4 million to the Homeless Housing and Services Program for the 2019-2020 fiscal year, according to an annual report. This program uses state funding to build, develop and secure housing for people experiencing homelessness in Texas’ nine largest cities: Arlington, Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Houston, Plano and San Antonio.

Eric Samuels, CEO of the Texas Homeless Network, said Texas also gives an annual grant to the Healthy Community Collaborative, a state program that assists people experiencing homelessness with severe mental illness or addiction. This year, the state gave the initiative $5 million.

Meanwhile, organizations around the state are dedicated to combating different effects of homelessness, such as inadequate health care, lack of legal aid, and food scarcity, in their local communities. Costis said it’s more than likely that community groups are already spearheading the ways Texans are hoping to help.

Here are some places to start for those looking to donate or volunteer:

In Austin:

In Corpus Christi:

• Mother Teresa Shelter Inc.’s services include food, a multipurpose activity and therapeutic center, transitional housing for men, and a “continuum of care” system that tracks and manages people experiencing homelessness.

In Dallas-Fort Worth:

• The Austin Street Center offers a walk-in emergency shelter with medical care, employment services and classes for people experiencing homelessness.
• The Bridge provides coordinated assessments, day and night shelter, care coordination, and housing and employment services.
• Carr P. Collins Social Service Center, the world’s largest Salvation Army, offers food, a cooling station and shelter, and programs for issues like substance abuse and domestic violence.

In El Paso:

In Houston:

• Search Homeless Services works with clients to secure housing and find jobs while conducting mobile outreach and providing early childhood education classes.

In San Antonio:

What are we missing? Let us know at community@texastribune.org.

Read related Tribune coverage

• "They're just pushing us away": Austin residents talk about homeless life as Gov. Abbott's deadline to move approaches
• As Texas gets ready to clear some Austin highway encampments, Gov. Abbott and Mayor Adler at odds over homeless residents