Our Mission
Founded in 1989, HtH is the oldest all volunteer, action, homeless organization in the state of Texas. The mission is Education and Advocacy around the issues of ending and preventing homelessness.
Urgent Issues
Re-Criminalizing Homelessness — Speak up now!
The Austin city council recently voted to put on its May ballot a vote to reinstate the no camping ban including the no sit/no lie ordinances. Now is the time to contact your mayor and council members particularly those who have supported decriminalizing homelessness, such as Mayor Adler, Kathy Tovo, Ann Kitchen, Greg Casar, Sabino Renteria, and others, we pray.
First call to action is cold weather shelter. Anyone that reads this, our urgent plea is to email our mayor and city council in this urgent time of cold weather. House the Homeless is encouraging to use the Convention Center or other alternatives sites that are already over burdened due to Covid-19 or at capacity.
A second call to action is to not displace unsheltered neighbors from bridges and the four major camp areas without having an immediate plan for alternative shelter/housing.
Finally, advise your mayor and council members that the wording for the May ballot regarding reinstating a camping ban must consider that those with disabilities, the aged, and in fact anyone with no place to go. The no sit/no lie ordinance is absolutely inhumane and unconscionable we must have at least 15 minute respites particularly for those with disabilities and make other provisions.
Federal Minimum Wage Debate
Federal resolve is insufficient; highly recommend Universal Living Wage formula indexed on the cost of housing wherever the person lives and works.
12/2014 – The Travis County Commissioners Court Resolves to support the campaign to end homeless by:
1. encouraging the U.S. Conference of Mayors to encourage the U.S. Senate
to address the Federal Minimum Wage (FMW) and the SSI Standards
2. Supporting the 10 year phase in of the changes to index the FMW and SSI to the local cost of housing.
3. Imploring that our institutions (prisons, hospitals, foster care) Discharge No One into Homelessness
Universal Living Wage: Good for Business
Richard Troxell with ‘House the Homeless’ says businesses wind up harming themselves when they are stingy with their workers pay, they wind up hurting their business, “What we’re suggesting is embrace the living wage, they will empower these minimum wage workers to be able to sustain themselves and not be a detriment to any other business.” Listen to the interview here.
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Great progress on the Homecoming Bronze Statue. Please click to see two videos of world-renowned Sculptor, Timothy Schmalz work and speak about the project.
Speaking Out on the Economic Recovery
House the Homeless president, Richard R. Troxell, lays out a jobs plan to put millions of Americans back to work; jumpstart the construction industry building housing for the newly-employed; stimulate the economy through a surge in consumer spending; delay, reduce, and restructure foreclosures; while at the same time reducing taxes and subsidies from the federal government to the unemployed. Impossible? No! It’s actually quite realistic. Check out the plan here.
Change.org Petition for Benches for the Homeless
Let’s get folks up off the sidewalk and their feet out of the gutter.
BENCHES can get our citizens up from the sidewalks and out of our gutters! Dignity & Fairness!!!! By signing, I call for enough benches for all!
Helping the Homeless while Spending Money Wisely
The Invisible Class Trailer
Check out Josh Hayes’ amazing documentary and be looking for ways to support a showing in your community or with your organization.
theinvisibleclass.com
House the Homeless continues to make masks for the most needy in the nation
House the Homeless continues to make masks for the most needy in the nation, most recently sending 20 to the Speakers Bureau of the National Coalition for the Homeless and over 100 to Catholic Charities of D.C. for a total of 372 as of 5/12/20. Because these are washable and reusable, they provide 22,320+ uses. If you’ve got the time and you want to help, make some masks.
Richard and Sylvia Troxell are working in North Carolina to make masks for men, women, and children in the Union County Community Shelter for people experiencing homelessness. Pattern can be found at aha.org
2020
Open Letter to Leadership 6-17-20
