System Progress

A community-wide effort


Ending homelessness in Austin and Travis County will take all of us working together toward long-term housing solutions. People living outside, advocates, and service providers take steps every day to push our community closer to a future free of homelessness.

 

LifeWorks CEO Susan McDowell, Council Member Alison Alter, ECHO Executive Director Matt Mollica, and HUD representative Richard Cho posing shoulder to shoulder
Photo of hands holding small house cut-out on wooden background with text that says "System Progress, new housing under construction"

Partners break ground on two new permanent housing developments

AUSTIN (May 30, 2024) – Partners working to end homelessness in our community broke ground on two separate housing developments this month, adding 160 new units of supportive housing in […]

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Imagine of rooftops with the ECHO and WoodNext logos and text that says "Microgrants"

14 organizations awarded microgrants for diversion and rapid exit through WoodNext Foundation partnership with ECHO

AUSTIN – Fourteen organizations working to end homelessness in Austin and Travis County have a new tool in their toolbox: at least $25,000 each to help eliminate financial barriers unhoused […]

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News microphones in background with image of KVUE logo and laptop displaying a news story with headline "Grand opening for North Austin apartment complex to help people exiting homelessness"

KVUE: Grand opening for North Austin apartment complex to help people exiting homelessness

AUSTIN – Caritas of Austin cut the ribbon on its first housing development this month, providing people ending their homelessness access to safe, stable places to live paired with supportive […]

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Light yellow background with Austin skyline at bottom, HUD logo, and text that says "FY23 Austin/Travis County Continuum of Care Grant Awards"

Austin/Travis County orgs receive record $12 million from federal grant program to end homelessness

AUSTIN – Nine organizations in Austin and Travis County will receive nearly $12 million to help people end their homelessness as part of an annual nationwide grant cycle administered by […]

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Newsprint background with Community Impact logo and screenshot of article with the headline "Revamped downtown Austin homeless shelter for women, transgender clients opens its doors"

Community Impact: Revamped downtown Austin homeless shelter for women, transgender clients opens its doors

AUSTIN – This week, the City of Austin and service provider Urban Alchemy re-opened a shelter facility that closed earlier in the year, adding much-needed short-term beds for women and […]

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Photo of Capital Metro bus on top of Austin skyline

Free bus rides: How to get your permanent free fare card from CapMetro

AUSTIN (Nov. 3, 2023) – Local bus service in Austin and Travis County is now free for anyone experiencing homelessness with a new fare card Capital Metro debuted last week. […]

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Photo of hands holding cell phone over image of thermometer and ice

City of Austin launches text alert system for people experiencing homelessness

AUSTIN – The City of Austin launched a new text message alert system last week that notifies people experiencing homelessness about severe weather and other emergency situations. About 3,500 people […]

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Photo of Austin and Texas Capitol building with text that says, "2023 Austin/Travis County Homelessness Response System Needs & Gaps + Racial Disparities, Key takeaways"

What to Know: Takeaways from two reports on the Austin/Travis County Homelessness Response System

AUSTIN (Sept. 26, 2023) — People living outside in Austin and Travis County are connecting more quickly to organizations that can offer help due to targeted expansion of our community’s […]

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Medium shot of ECHO staff talking at table with text on top that says "The Day 1 Families Fund"

ECHO Receives $2.5 Million Bezos Day 1 Families Fund Grant to Help End Homelessness for Families in Austin and Travis County

Fund grants $123.45 million to 40 nonprofits across the U.S. to move the needle on re-housing and supporting families experiencing homelessness AUSTIN, Texas – (November 22, 2022): The Ending Community […]

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LifeWorks CEO Susan McDowell, Council Member Alison Alter, ECHO Executive Director Matt Mollica, and HUD representative Richard Cho posing shoulder to shoulder

KVUE: Austin community coalition says it has raised 90% of $515M goal to combat homelessness

AUSTIN — The coalition of community partners known as Finding Home ATX is now 90% of the way to meeting its fundraising goal, stakeholders announced at a news conference on […]

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Stylized close-up of clasped hands in front of face with text that says "five takeaways: Racial Disparities and Needs & Gaps in Austin's unhoused community"

Five Takeaways: Racial Disparities and Needs & Gaps in Austin’s unhoused community

AUSTIN – It’s getting harder to afford a place in Austin, and longtime Black and Hispanic/Latinx residents face the most severe effects, according to two new reports from the Ending […]

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Austin skyline lit up in the evening, looking over Lady Bird Lake, with the words "Austin Street Outreach Collaborative" and logos for We Can Now, Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center, and Urban Alchemy

Austin Street Outreach Collaborative announces inaugural members

AUSTIN (April 19, 2022) –The Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) is excited to announce the kickoff of the Austin Street Outreach Collaborative (ASOC), an initiative to build a stronger infrastructure […]

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Image shows a roadmap zoomed into Austin with the words "Dig into Data: Using the Austin/Travis County Homelessness Response System Dashboard"

Dig into homelessness data using new dashboard

AUSTIN (Oct. 21, 2021) — A new dashboard provides direct access for the first time to regularly-updated in-depth homelessness data covering housing programs, the unhoused population, and the overall flow […]

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HUD renews $11 million in CoC program funds to 10 Austin organizations

AUSTIN, Texas (Feb. 3, 2021) – Ten homeless service providers in Austin/Travis County will be renewed for funds of more than $11 million in federal dollars to support permanent housing […]

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Slowing the jail-to-homelessness inflow

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: AUSTIN, Texas (Dec. 14, 2020) — Travis County Commissioners voted last week to approve an agreement with the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) to give justice system […]

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Homeless response gets a big boost in Austin’s budget

AUSTIN, Texas (August 13, 2020) — The Austin City Council approved the city’s budget Thursday, which includes historic levels of investment into the city’s homeless response system. ECHO applauds city […]

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Housing equity: Austin leaders take positive steps

AUSTIN, Texas (June 12, 2020) — The Austin City Council on Thursday voted unanimously to direct staff to write rules limiting checks of criminal justice involvement that are used to […]

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