Housing Partnerships

People become vulnerable to losing stability for a lot of different reasons. But what unites everyone experiencing homelessness is the lack of housing. Whatever pushes someone into homelessness, an important first step to helping pull themselves out is a safe, stable place to live. The people who access housing programs are our neighbors, friends, and family members searching for a second chance.

About two-thirds of people who took housing assessments in 2022 reported either being born and/or raised in Austin, last housed in Austin, or both. About half of Black and Hispanic/Latinx people looking for housing were born and/or raised here.

When a unit becomes available, providers refer to our community’s centralized database of people looking for housing. This database, the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), is created through our Coordinated Entry process, the way we assess people’s needs and connect them with organizations who can meet those needs.

Our community’s Housing First approach is in now way “housing only,” and it’s as far from a one-size-fits-all policy. The folks who will be moving in will already be connected to agencies that provide case management, rental assistance paid directly to the property, and other individualized supportive services someone might need to stay in their new place long-term.

In addition to supporting our community’s work to help people end their homelessness for good, property owners and developers get a number of benefits from partnering with ECHO:

1. Quickly-filled vacancies: When a unit becomes available, there’s already someone waiting to move in who’s gone through the housing assessment process.
2. Guaranteed rental assistance and services: Agencies we work with who run housing programs provide rental assistance payments directly to the property, and everyone who moves in will be connected to a case manager at that agency who can help them connect with supportive services they need to remain stably housed.
3. Ongoing support from ECHO: You’ll get continued support from the agency that actually runs the housing program, and ECHO’s Community Housing Team is on standby as well to answer any questions and respond to any concerns that may arise.