Amplify Austin 2026 is on right now!

 

Thank you to all of our supporters!

Please continue to help HtH do more
(mail checks in any amount to POB 2312, Austin, Tx 78768 or hit the Donate button herein)
House the Homeless is the oldest NPO in Texas dealing with issues of preventing & ending homelessness.
All volunteer with minimal operating costs.
Founder: Richard R. Troxell, House the Homeless National Education Director.

 

January 1st, 2026 HtH HUGSS Event

 

JOIN US ON NEW YEAR’S DAY ~ HTH’s ANNUAL HUGSS* EVENT
In Partnership with FIRST BAPTIST AUSTIN CHURCH, 901 TRINITY
ST (78701)

THURSDAY, JAN. 1 ST ~ DOOR OPENS AT NOON, EVENT
CLOSES AT 2 PM

In Memoriam


JoAnne Koepke

December 28, 1947 – November 24, 2025

JoAnne’s heart and soul lived in her work with House the Homeless, the oldest all volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Texas dealing with advocacy and education around issues of homelessness.
Beginning in 1992, and continuing for 28 years, she served on the Board—primarily as secretary – and was the quiet engine behind much of the organization’s impact.

 

The Veterans Day Parade

The Veterans Day Parade on November 11, 2025, will feature House the Homeless among its participants in Austin. The parade is set to start at 9:00 am, moving along Congress Avenue from the Bridge to the Capitol Building

Texas Flood Relief

In response to the devastating Texas floods, House the Homeless Board President Will Hyatt and longtime advocate P.J. Liles have joined recovery efforts on the ground in Kerr County, one of the hardest-hit areas. Torrential rains caused the Guadalupe River to rise more than 26 feet in under an hour,
overwhelming roads, camps, and homes. The damage is staggering.

Please pray for the families whose children and loved ones were lost in the floods, and remember all those suffering in Kerr County and other Texas communities still reeling from this historic disaster.

2024 Year in Review

Boots on the Ground.

We continue to advocate with and on behalf of our unhoused neighbors. We go into camps and wherever we find individuals and families in need. We provide the information necessary to navigate assistance and to secure sustainable housing. We recently updated and added to the 60-plus listings in our uniquely portable and durable “Plastic Pocket Resource Guides.”…

The House the Homeless (HtH) Plastic Pocket Resource Guides (18th Edition)

House the Homeless’ Plastic Pocket Resource Guides (18th Edition) remain available in limited supply. These durable, waterproof, fold-out guides were created by founder Richard R. Troxell to connect unhoused individuals with critical local resources—such as shelter, meals, healthcare, and crisis services.

To request guides or include them in your outreach efforts, please contact us directly. Donations help us continue printing and distributing this vital tool.

33rd Annual HtH Memorial Service

House the Homeless’ 33rd Annual Memorial Service is set for Sunday, November 16. The program, lasting one hour, will begin at 9 am, and volunteers are welcome at 8:00 am.

Available where books are sold!

In Short Stories in a Long Journey, Richard R. Troxell provides resources, decades of stories, and details of his local and national efforts to End and Prevent Homelessness.

All proceeds benefit persons experiencing homelessness.

Livable Incomes

Richard R. Troxell created Universal Living Wage campaign over two decades ago to index minimum wages based on the cost of housing wherever a person works so they can afford basic housing; and he added a solution for those who cannot work; i.e. increase the social security stipend for those who cannot work.

House the Homeless, Inc., founded in 1989, is the oldest, all volunteer, action organization in Texas working to prevent and end homelessness. Our mission is education and advocacy around issues of homelessness. Our goal is prevention and doable solutions, including how to end to economic homelessness here and across the nation. HtH considers all homeless and formerly homeless individuals to be members of this 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit corporation. We strive to ensure that the makeup of our Board of Directors generally not fall below 50% of individuals who were formerly homeless or are currently experiencing homelessness.

New Board President: Will Hyatt

House the Homeless, Inc. is pleased to announce Will Hyatt as our new Board President. Elected at the recent Annual Meeting, Will moves into this leadership role after serving as Vice President. A longtime advocate and active member of HtH, Will brings deep commitment, lived experience awareness, and a strong vision for housing justice. We’re excited for his leadership in guiding our mission forward .

Pastor Will, as he is known, is actively meeting with City Council members and others. Following is an update from David Gray, the City’s Homeless Strategy Officer– a man with a heart for those experiencing homelessness. HtH continues to advocate for all being displaced, for their belongings to be retained, and more, as well as City budgeting of adequate housing resources.

Austin Homeless Strategy Update:
David Gray, Homeless Strategy Officer, City of Austin

Encampment Transitions (Mid-Year)

– 28 individuals recently transitioned from a high-risk Country Club Creek encampment into shelters such as Northbridge, Southbridge, and the Marshalling Yard.
– In the past year, four camps—Barton Creek Greenbelt, Williamson Creek East, Indian Grass Prairie, and North Walnut Creek—were cleared, relocating 63 people into indoor settings.
– Since June 2021, nearly 1,024 individuals have been moved from unsafe camps into shelters through the HEAL Initiative.

Point-In-Time (PIT) Count

– 2025 PIT Count (Jan 25–26): 3,238 people counted in Austin–Travis County—1,661 sheltered and 1,577 unsheltered, marking the first time more individuals are counted as sheltered than those found to be unsheltered.
– 2024 HUD estimate: Approximately 2,975 individuals experiencing homelessness in Greater Austin—this includes both unsheltered individuals counted by volunteers and sheltered residents documented through emergency shelters, transitional housing, and safe havens.

Events, News & Actions

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Read the Stories & Take Action

Brain Injury, Neglect, and Self-Destruction

When Andrea Ball recently wrote about Austin’s anti-homeless ordinance, a reader commented, There is less sympathy for veterans as homeless. They were provided a job by the government, received training worth $thousand to $hundred thousands, have significant...

Los Angeles and the Vets

A journalist’s first instinct is always to quote statistics, and there is nothing wrong with that. For instance, the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans says, “107,000 veterans are homeless on any given night” [link is ours]. USA Today says...

Meanest Streets, Part 3

In 2005, the National Coalition for the Homeless listed the 20 American cities where people experiencing homelessness seemed to be most unwelcome. We are looking at the top five, then and now. Las Vegas, Nevada, and Atlanta, Georgia, have already been...

Meanest Streets, Part 2

Last time, following up an a 2005 report by the National Coalition for the Homeless, we looked at the #5 (Las Vegas, Nevada) and #4 (Atlanta, Georgia) cities most inimical to people experiencing homelessness at the time of the report, and also at more...

The Swap-A-Hat Program

GOAL:$4000 = 500 Hats COLLECTED AS OF 7/25:$600 = 75 Hats Due to the extreme heat in Austin this spring and summer, House the Homeless is again conducting the Swap-A-Hat program. People experiencing homelessness will be given the opportunity to either swap their...

Meanest Streets, Part 1

A 2005 report by the National Coalition for the Homeless listed what were, at the time, the 20 meanest cities, the ones with the worst records in terms of anti-homeless laws, selectivity of enforcement, severity of penalties, and their general political...

Chronicling Homelessness: Mark Horvath

There are three kinds of “first-person” accounts of homelessness, the first being, of course, narratives that originate with the authentic homeless. They tell their own stories and the stories of other street people their lives have intersected with, which is almost...

How Change Happens

August 17, 2010: Richard R. Troxell and House the Homeless at the Austin City Council meeting. When the words “City Council meeting” are mentioned, many people, for one reason or another, tend to zone out. But stick around, and you will hear an amazing thing. Last...

The Unavoidable Problem of Human Waste

We have talked about the inordinate amount of time, energy, and financial resources that are spent on preventing benches from being slept on, or even sat on by people experiencing homelessness. The same brand of madness goes on over public bathrooms. The object...