A Place to Call Home
At LifeWorks, we believe that everyone deserves a place to call home. Based on research and data, we found that the initial step in making youth homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring is a housing-first approach. Therefore, housing is a critical pillar in our mission and our largest goal to date: to end youth homelessness in Austin by 2020. LifeWorks has one of the most comprehensive continuums of housing and support options for vulnerable youth in the country, including Street Outreach, Emergency Shelter, Transitional Living, Young Parents Program, Rapid Re-Housing and Permanent Supportive Housing.
Earlier this year, we celebrated the opening of The Works II, a 29-unit affordable housing community for youth and young families exiting from homelessness. As the second housing complex located at the LifeWorks east campus, the units are only steps away from an extensive array of supportive services available through the LifeWorks Sooch East Austin Youth & Family Resource Center. Providing access to programs around education & workforce and counseling offers clients the support they need to overcome barriers to self-sufficiency.
Our newest housing community could not have come at a better time. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, people experiencing homelessness are two to four times more likely to be hospitalized and two to three times more likely to die compared to the general population according to a recent study. Finding shelter for our clients during the shelter-in-place is one of our top priorities. This year alone, there have been 54 client move-ins. Fifteen of these monumental milestones have occurred during the height of Austin’s quarantine. One of these move-ins included a client named Todo who found a place to call home at the end of March. For Todo, having a home during quarantine wasn’t just a dream, it was a necessity. As the pandemic continues to take an unpredictable toll on communities, youth experiencing homelessness must swiftly assess their immediate needs to remain healthy and out of harm's way.
As these precarious times continue, so must our work. Nearly 100 of LifeWorks housing program clients are in desperate need of additional financial support for rent, food, and utilities after the shelter-in-place order caused them to lose their jobs. Your support today will help ensure we’ve got the resources to keep clients in their homes.