VISTA Spotlight: Data Integration In a Year of Service to THN By: Joe Schultz, Statewide Data Sharing Initiatives Associate It has been an extremely difficult year for most people but I wanted to take this opportunity to shine a light on the fantastic experience that I’ve had working with Texas Homeless Network (THN) and the […]
THN Expands Federal Advocacy Through New OSAH Grant
THN Expands Federal Advocacy Through New OSAH Grant Texas Homeless Network is honored to receive a $50,000 grant from the Opportunity Starts at Home Campaign to fund THN’s federal advocacy work. Opportunity Starts at Home (OSAH) is a national campaign focused on advancing federal affordable housing solutions for the lowest income people, amplifying racial equity, […]
Unsheltered PIT Count Cancelled, But Our Work Continues
Unsheltered PIT Count Cancelled, But Our Work Continues By: Kyra Henderson Every year the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) mandates communities to conduct the Point-in-Time (PIT) Count, which aims to provide a snapshot of those experiencing homelessness over the course of one night. Not only is this a data-gathering initiative, but in many […]
Eviction Protections Extended for Two More Months
Eviction Protections Extended for Two More Months By: Nick Thompson The new incoming Center for Disease Control (CDC) director Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH under the Biden-Harris administration extended the current moratorium for evictions until “at least” March 31, 2021. President Biden is calling on Congress to pass a longer eviction moratorium tied with substantial rental […]
We Need Action Now: What We Want to See During the 87th Texas Legislative Session
We Need Action Now: What We Want to See During the 87th Texas Legislative Session By: Nick Thomspon With more than 27,000 people experiencing homelessness, millions of people at risk (or currently) facing eviction proceedings, and the pandemic raging on the Texas Legislature must take significant steps to address the housing needs of Texas communities. […]
The CoC Program: Not Just Funding
The CoC Program: Not Just Funding By: Margaret Hill In the Texas counties that make up the Balance of State Continuum of Care (BoS CoC), communication and sharing of resources can be a challenge for homeless service providers. The BoS CoC is mostly made up of rural areas of the state, many of which must […]
Thank You to Those Who Stepped Up & A Letter to the Future Generations
Thank You to Those Who Stepped Up & A Letter to the Future Generations By: Mia Neally The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to confront the deadly underbelly of our deeply divided nation. With over 200,000 COVID-19 related deaths and over 10 million cases in the United States alone, we’re still far from controlling the […]
An Op-Ed: Austin, Adler, and Homelessness
Austin, Adler, and Homelessness By Chris Baker, Executive Director, The Other Ones Foundation Here in Austin, where I live, it’s not easy to travel more than a few miles without seeing yard signs calling for the removal of our center-left mayor, Steve Adler. The Recall Adler campaign is the work of a local group called […]
Ending Homelessness through Systems Change
Ending Homelessness through Systems Change Author: Linda Xiong, THN Systems Change Manager At Texas Homeless Network, I work on a team called the Systems Change Team. To me, the naming of this team is very unique because it really gets at the concept or theory behind Coordinated Entry in the Texas Balance of State Continuum […]
Joe Biden & Kamala Harris Win Presidential Election: Our Work Continues
Joe Biden & Kamala Harris Win Presidential Election: Our Work Continues Dear Texas Homeless Network friends, partners, members, and allies, As we all know, Joe Biden has won the election and will become the 46th U.S. President alongside Vice President-elect, Kamala Harris. With this election behind us, we are moving forward with a continued call […]
Spotlight Post: My Journey to Texas Homeless Network
Spotlight Post: My Journey to Texas Homeless Network Author: Savannah Haney, THN VISTA Leader My journey and previous experiences are what motivate me to serve as an AmeriCorps VISTA Leader and do the work that I do. As a child, I was interested in engineering and was always building things with my hands and thinking […]
Texas Homeless Network Response to USICH Report
Texas Homeless Network Response to USICH Report, “Expanding the Toolbox: The Whole-of-Government Response to Homelessness” October 23, 2020, Austin, TX – Earlier this week, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) held a roundtable discussion focused on the recently released report, “Expanding the Toolbox: The Whole-of-Government Response to Homelessness.” As a statewide agency focused […]
Advocacy Alert: Qualified Allocation Plan
Don’t miss the 10/9 deadline: THN’s QAP Public Comment Author: Eric Samuels, President and CEO The TDHCA board will be considering proposed changes to the Qualified Allocation Plan. This plan sets policy for tax credits that are awarded for building new affordable and supportive housing. These proposed changes are to the Supportive Housing Definition. These […]
VISTAs in Action
Spotlight Post: AmeriCorps in ActonSalvation Army Food Distribution Author: Brenda Larsosa I’m currently serving as an AmeriCorps Coalition and Coordinated Entry Coordinator for the City of Texarkana. When The Salvation Army of Texarkana, a fellow member of the Texarkana Homeless Coalition, recently expressed a need for assistance with their food box distribution program during the COVID-19 […]
Action Towards Equity and Protecting Equal Access
Action Towards Equity and Protecting Equal Access Author: Giovanna DiNapoli Recently, the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) proposed a modification to the Equal Access Rule that would allow shelters to deny access to trans individuals based on their gender identity and sex assigned at birth. This harmful proposed change creates another level of discrimination that transgender […]