On December 10th, Robert Marbut was announced as the new Executive Director of the US Interagency Council on Homelessness. Texas Homeless Network is encouraged to work with anyone that seeks to end homelessness, but we, along with our partners and advocates across Texas, are concerned about the events that led to this leadership change and Read More »
Texas CoC Leads Letter to the Governor
Our collective response to the State of Texas/Governor’s interventions regarding homelessness in Austin: Overview Bullet Points: The state of Texas and the Governor’s office recently created a sanctioned encampment on state land in Austin, TX for people experiencing unsheltered homelessness. The given explanation for the State’s intervention was to protect Texans, but for this to Read More »
2019 Conference Photos!
THN and Partners Release Statement on Homelessness in Texas
September 4, 2019 For Immediate Release THN and Partners Release Statement on Homelessness in Texas Texas Homeless Network (THN), along with partners across the state, is releasing this statement in response to recent comments in the press by Texas political leaders regarding homelessness. We appreciate the attention our leaders are bringing to this issue. Awareness Read More »
Meet THN Team Member Mollie Lund
Mollie Lund joined THN as the ESG & SSVF Performance Coordinator in November of 2018. Mollie supports Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) Program recipients and sub-recipients and Supportive Service for Veterans Families (SSVF) recipients in the Texas Balance of State Continuum of Care. Mollie evaluates outcomes of ESG-funded and SSVF-funded projects and provides technical assistance, education Read More »
Meet THN Team Member Sophia Checa
Sophia is the Director of Continuum of Care Programs at THN. In this role, she is responsible for carrying out the strategic direction set by the Texas Balance of State Continuum of Care Board. Sophia believes that no one should experience homelessness therefore, she believes in the universal right to housing and death to capitalism. Read More »
Reducing Harm and Housing People – Our Obligation
By Elena Lusk What if you couldn’t hide your issues behind closed doors because you didn’t have housing that shielded you from the eyes of society? The average amount of alcohol an individual would have to consume weekly to be considered a heavy drinker is around 14 or more drinks in a week, that is Read More »
The Case for Resident-Owned Communities
By: Christian Volckaert As we continue to grapple with the affordable housing crisis, the importance of creating and maintaining low-income housing remains a key component to moving towards the goal of every person having safe and affordable housing. To reach that solution, manufactured homes (also known as mobile homes) are often touted as the solution Read More »
Meet THN Team Member Kristin Zakoor
Kristin is the Assistant Director of Data at THN. She oversees the coordination and implementation of the Point-In-Time Count and Housing Inventory Count, LSA and HMIS. Her team works closely with the CoC Planning team to enhance data-related projects for the TX BoS CoC. Kristin has worked with several homeless service providers in Austin and Read More »
Meet THN Team Member Kraig Blaize-Fiero
Kraig is the CoC Programs Assistant and started as a volunteer before being placed at THN as an AmeriCorps VISTA member in 2012. During his VISTA service, which ran from 2012-2014, he worked with various homeless coalitions around the Central Texas area helping to raise awareness within the communities and coordinate annual Point In Time Read More »
The Criminalization of Homelessness across the Texas Balance of State
By: Jen Beardsley The Texas Balance of State encompasses a huge swath of an already enormous state – 215 counties, or roughly 60 percent of Texas’ population. Though this region and its area and population are diverse, all communities share the burden of affordable housing shortages and operating homelessness resources on shoestring budgets. They’re also Read More »
The Mayor’s Summit on Homelessness – Featuring Dr. Sam Tsemberis!
The City of Amarillo and Mayor Ginger Nelson are hosting The Mayor’s Summit on Homelessness. The summit will feature Dr. Sam Tsemberis, Ph.D. Dr. Tsemberis is a clinical psychologist who developed the “Housing First” model, which is used by the City of Amarillo. Dr. Tsemberis serves as president of the Pathways Housing First Institute in Read More »
Meet Team Member Mary Rychlik Stahlke, LMSW
Mary serves as the Continuum of Care Manager. She conducts CoC planning and operations activities to strategically prevent and end homelessness. Mary ensures the CoC is operating according to its governance structure, policies, and procedures; supports the CoC Board; and coordinates the CoC efforts with other programs, funding streams, and community planning efforts. Mary has expertise in Read More »
Meet THN Team Member Kyra Henderson
Kyra Henderson is the Data Coordinator for the Texas Balance of State CoC. She is charged with organizing and executing the Annual Point-in-Time Count and Housing Inventory Count along with responding to data requests and creating data visualizations. Kyra is originally from Littleton, Colorado and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Colorado State University. Read More »
Source of Income Discrimination
Written by: Christian Volckaert Affordable housing is the cornerstone of providing housing as a human right. To help low-income people gain access to housing, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) created a rental assistance program in 1974. This program, commonly known as Section 8, works to help individuals and families afford housing by Read More »