Earth Day 2021: Climate Change and the Impact on Homelessness By: Cindy Ramirez Everything is bigger in Texas… and that unfortunately also applies to the climate change in our state. According to a 2017 study published in Science, Texans will experience some of the worst effects of climate change, from a dwindle in harvests to […]

Austin, Vote No on Proposition B – Let’s Double Down on Solutions By: Nick Thomspon Early Voting: April 19-27, 2021  |   Election Day: May 1, 2021 Please Vote NO on Prop B Find a polling place using the Travis County Clerk Website Because there has been so much misinformation about the proposition, let’s start with […]

The Impact of Homelessness Awareness Day We are thrilled with the success of our largest, and first-ever virtual, Homeless Awareness Day in the history of Texas Homeless Network (THN). Homelessness Awareness Day (HAD) is an advocacy day that aims to educate policymakers on homelessness and housing. With over 200 registered participants, we doubled in size […]

THN Opposes the Criminalization of Our Unhoused Neighbors Texas Homeless Network opposes HB 1925 and SB 987 because criminalization is the most expensive and least effective way of addressing homelessness. This bill seeks to hide people living outside from the immediate view of housed Texans rather than do what actually addresses homelessness – invest more […]

Let’s Talk About Zoning By: Billy Streu Could zoning reform in Texas be a viable solution for our affordable housing crisis? Even more, could it begin to put a dent in economic and racial inequality? For many years, zoning reform has felt like a big Texas-size elephant in the room. President Biden’s housing plan includes […]

“No, I’m not homeless. I’m just houseless”: On Nomadland By: Nick Thompson 4/26/2021 Update – Nomadland also picked up 6 Oscars including Best Picture and  Best Actress in addition to the Golden Globe wins described below.   This week Nomadland won two awards including best drama and director for Chloé Zhao’s adaptation of Jessica Bruder’s 2017 […]

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, “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 […]

What happens to at-risk renters on Jan. 1, 2021? Author: Jasmine Pool As of September 4, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) placed an order into effect to prevent residential evictions for non-payment of rent in the United States. Although the temporary national moratorium is a step in the right direction, it […]

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 […]

Spotlight Post: AmeriCorps in Acton Salvation 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 […]

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 […]

COVID-19 Response Prompts New Collaborations and Programs in San Antonio Background SARAH is the Continuum of Care Lead Agency for San Antonio/Bexar County responsible for local coordination and strategies to prevent and end homelessness. Haven for Hope is a transformational campus focused on addressing root causes of homelessness with a person-centered and recovery-oriented approach. The […]