Travis County approves $3 million to build supportive housing for homeless population

Donald "Hippie" Montgomery, 64, has been living at Camp Esperanza, a city-sanctioned homeless encampment in southeastern Travis County, for nearly three years. The former paramedic, who turned to the tech industry, said he moved to Austin looking for work several years ago but eventually found himself homeless.

Montgomery says he has been working to put his life back together with the help of the Other Ones Foundation, a nonprofit that provides not only a safe place to sleep, but also offers services like job opportunities, internet access and mental and physical health resources.

“I need to have a private place, but not apartment, where I could figure out my next move," he said.

Montgomery said he now is ready to start transitioning to a more permanent situation, and it's something the organization and Travis County are hoping to be able to do for hundreds of others in Austin and Travis County.

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“I love it here, and after all this and all they’ve done, I am ready to get back out there,” Montgomery said.

Travis County on Tuesday approved a $3 million contract − partial funding for the $6.5 million supportive housing project − with the Other Ones Foundation for the Camp Esperanza Shelter Complex.

The Other Ones Foundation is a nonprofit organization that offers shelter and support services for people experiencing homelessness. Supportive housing refers to combining housing units with services for people coming out of chronic homelessness.

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'Helping people right now'

The Travis County Commissioners Court's vote was the second in month to deploy money for housing and support services as part of the county's $110 million plan to tackle homelessness, said Travis County Judge Andy Brown.

“This has been an important project for myself and Commissioner (Margaret) Gomez because it meets the needs right now,” Brown told the American-Statesman. “We need something online now, and this is helping people right now.”

The county preivously approved a $35 million contract with the nonprofit Mobile Loaves and Fishes that will pay to build 640 units at the Community First Burleson Village as part of a supportive housing project.

The moves are part of the county’s goal of building 2,000 supportive housing units in Travis County on its way to rehousing 3,000 people.

As of December, an estimated 3,838 people in Travis County were considered homeless and unsheltered, while an additional 818 were considered homeless but living in area shelters, according to the dashboard run by the nonprofit Ending Community Homelessness Coalition, or ECHO.

Travis County grant will help build 200 shelter cabins, community spaces

Chris Baker, founder and executive director of the Others Ones Foundation, said the $3 million is a significant portion of the funding. He said it will help build 200 shelter cabins, along with community gathering spaces, including a community center, laundry facilities, community restrooms and showers and covered gathering areas for food distribution, events and other needs.

Residents on-site also have access to supportive services, such as case management, job skills training, health clinics, a computer lab and housing navigation to help people move into a more stable home.

“It’s exciting to know residents will have access to a shelter complex with amenities, supportive services and options for community gathering,” Brown said. “Everyone deserves the dignity of a roof over their head. With this investment, we are helping our unhoused population via an organization who understands. I’m thrilled the Commissioners Court is moving forward with the Other Ones Foundation contract.”

Baker said that the Esperanza Community is a vital part of the continuum of care because its model offers an individual occupancy model that allows people to feel seen and heard, especially after struggling to engage with traditional shelter services.

He said the program is meant to help people work towards a more stable living situation, with an average stay of about six months.

“Some people don’t want to go, or can’t live, anywhere else,” Baker said. “So we will be a place for them to come and have a safe place to sleep, to live, and for many of them this will be transitional.”

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More projects on the way to support Austin homeless population

The site's facilities are starting to come together, leaving little evidence that the property was once filled with tents and functioned as a sanctioned homeless camp in 2019 as a way to enforce the city's ban on camping in public spaces.

Several cabins are already built – some now occupied – and several others are expected to be completed by the end of the year. At least 85 people are already living on the property, Baker said.

The complex’s 200 cabin units will make room for more than 200 people who are experiencing homeless, including couples and those with pets. The 100-square-foot, climate-controlled units come furnished with a bed, table and chair. They also have electricity.

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Community bathrooms offer showers with individual enclosures. Broadband internet is also installed throughout the complex.

Baker said the complex is being built with the community’s input in mind. Residents on the site formed a leadership group that acts as the voice for those living there.

“Our job is to ensure we do everything we can to house people immediately, but also provide services that they can engage with outside of case management,” Baker said.

Several other projects are in the pipeline aimed at providing housing for those experiencing homelessness.

Matthew Mollica, ECHO's executive director, told the Statesman this month that several permanent supportive housing projects are slated for completion, including Espero at Rutland in North Austin and the conversion of several hotels into transitional housing by the city of Austin.  

Travis County also has at least nine other projects slated for the remaining $72 million to help address homelessness, including with the Austin Area Urban League, Foundation Communities, LifeWorks and Family Eldercare.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Travis County OKs $3M to help homeless people through Camp Esperanza