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

Medical Ethics and the Hospital Industry

The lives of people experiencing homelessness are inextricably involved with hospitals. One of the most affecting parts of Richard R. Troxell’s book, Looking Up at the Bottom Line, is the story of Diane Breisch Malloy, whose tragic death in Texas inspired the...

2011 Tax Day Action: An Appeal from Richard R. Troxell

You shall not abuse a needy and destitute laborer, whether a fellow countryman or a stranger in one of the communities of your land. You must pay him his wages on the same day, before the sun sets, for he is needy and sets his life on it; else he will cry to God...

Richard R. Troxell Speaks in Nation’s Capitol

Yesterday, Richard R. Troxell spoke about Looking Up at the Bottom Line at the Catholic University of America (CUA) in the heart of Washington, D.C. As we know, and now the attendees of this event know, his message is that the Universal Living...

Homeless Dumping – the Wave of the Future?

It used to be that Southern California was the predictor. Whatever the folks in LA were doing, the rest of the country would be doing it pretty soon. Maybe that tendency still applies. In the case of homeless dumping, let’s hope not. Some deny that there is...

How to Become Homeless

Here, in no particular order, are a few contributing factors to becoming homeless. 1. The earthquake/tsunami combination is a guaranteed creator of homelessness on a massive scale. Live in a place like Japan, Haiti, or California, and sooner or later,...

A Few Shelters Here and There

It’s hard to say anything negative about shelters when municipal and state budgets everywhere are being cut. The last thing you want to do is give some bureaucrat the excuse to decide, “Shelters can be awful places, so let’s stop funding them.” And no one wants to...

Problems with Numbers

Maria Foscarinis is founder and executive director of the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty. (Her complete biography is found at the NLCHP website.) She calls for a commitment to the principle that “in a country as wealthy as ours,...

The Homeless Shelter and the City Council

For the sociologically inquisitive, the headline “Bonne Terre Council meets about homeless shelter” (link is ours) is irresistible. Knowing nothing whatsoever about this city in Missouri, except that its name means “good earth,” a person can easily imagine...

Sleep Loss a Pervasive and Underrated Problem

It’s easy enough to glance at the news headlines and find examples of savage treatment, although, fortunately, the number of individuals who have been beaten or set on fire is relatively small. There is another cruelty, less extreme than physical assault, but it...

No Sit/No Lie: Troxell’s Testimony

Members of House the Homeless protest at an Austin City Council meeting to consider changes to the City's "No Sit/No Lie" ordinance. The following is the testimony of Richard R. Troxell, president of House the Homeless, Inc., before the Health and Human Services...