Stop the Clock: Fix Austin’s Rapid Rehousing Program and Invest in Housing for the Poor
We believe housing is a human right yet more than 6,500 people are homeless every night in Austin.
Why? Affordable housing is scarce, the cost of living is high, and our homeless response system focuses on band-aid programs instead of long-term solutions. We know when rent goes up, so does homelessness, and the rent is too damn high in Austin!
Austin relies on Rapid Rehousing (RRH) rental assistance as one of the primary tools to house individuals experiencing street homelessness, but the program doesn’t work for everyone. In March, VOCAL-TX leaders decided to hit the streets to survey unhoused Austinites about their experiences with the program. Our leaders spoke to dozens of people, and across the board, people reported that RRH is too short and access to permanent housing when RRH ends is too scarce.
The stories we heard confirmed what HMIS data compiled by ECHO also shows: Hundreds of people exiting RRH are returning to homelessness when their RRH ends. We heard from people who are back on the streets, living out of their cars, and staying with family members. While RRH works for some, it’s not working for everyone and we aim to fix that.
“MY EXPERIENCE WAS GOING FROM THE INFERNO OF LIVING ON THE STREETS, TO WHAT I THOUGHT WOULD BE PARADISE OF HAVING MY OWN PLACE TO LIVE WITH RAPID REHOUSING. I THOUGHT I WAS GETTING A PERMANENT HOME WITH NO ISSUES, BUT I ALMOST ENDED UP ON THE STREETS AGAIN. NO ONE SHOULD END UP BACK ON THE STREETS IF THEY HAVE RRH. TOO MANY PROGRAMS AREN’T WORKING, AND WE NEED THESE PROGRAMS TO WORK.”
– VERNON JARMON, VOCAL-TX LEADER
Stop the Clock: Fix Rapid Rehousing and Invest in Housing for the Poor
Austin’s Rapid Rehousing program is too brief, and is often used for people who need a higher level of care, such as permanent supportive housing. Permanent housing vouchers and affordable housing are too scarce in our city, meaning that hundreds of people are exited to homelessness after receiving RRH for only six months to one year. No one should become homeless again after having rapid rehousing. Join our campaign to Stop the Clock on RRH short time-limits and invest in housing for the poor!