Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) is dedicated to planning, prioritizing, and developing strategies to end homelessness in Austin, TX. The overall role of the ECHO is to
identify specific strategies and to oversee ongoing planning efforts and implementation of the
plan to end chronic homelessness.

What causes homelessness?

The primary cause of homelessness in the U.S. is the lack of affordable housing. For most people, an array of various factors causes homelessness. Individuals living independently in the community can become homeless when any part of their support network fails and they are unable to overcome a set of difficult circumstances. For some people, homelessness is simply the result of not earning enough income to be able to afford housing. For others, homelessness is a chronic life situation fueled by substance abuse or untreated mental illness. For many, the factor that originally leads to homelessness is exacerbated over time by other factors. Some of the major factors that contribute to homelessness are lack of affordable housing, economic factors, domestic violence, mental illness, substance abuse, and sudden changes.

According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, two trends are largely responsible for the rise in homelessness over the past 20-25 years: a growing shortage of affordable rental housing and a simultaneous increase in poverty.

Brief One – A Federal Approach to Homelessness

Report – Solutions for Homeless Chronic Alcoholics in Austin

Who are the homeless persons in the Austin/Travis County?

Counting the homeless population is a difficult process but is vital in local planning effort. The Austin Continuum of Care committee provides historic estimates of the homeless population in Austin/Travis County.

In 2007, the “point-in-time” count of the homeless population in Austin/Travis County was at least 4,468. This number reflects estimates counts of homeless persons receiving homeless services and those who are turned away from services because of a lack of service capacity.

News/Events

Permanent Supportive Housing Program and Financial Model Austin/Travis County, Texas: Executive Summary Permanent Supportive Housing Program and Financial Model for Austin/Travis County, Texas Presentation: Permanent Supportive Housing Program & Financial Model for Austin/Travis County, TX 2009 HUD Continuum of Care NOFA 2009 Homeless Resource Fair VIDEO: Mythbuster About Homelessness (Click here to view the Video)  ECHO "Voices of  Homeless Persons" Report, 2008 This report is to communicate the process, results, and past findings to the public after collecting information about and from our homeless neighbors in Austin/Travis County. To see the full report (33 pages), please click the link. ECHO Quarterly Meetings – Ed McHorse, Chair All quarterly meetings take place on the 3rd Friday of January, April, July, and October, from 10:00 AM to Noon, at United Way Capital Area (2000 E. MLK Jr. Blvd) Volunteer Opportunities – with homeless services agencies in Austin/Travis County