Homeless in Central Texas

Homelessness is a widespread issue affecting communities nationwide, including Central Texas. On any given night, thousands of Central Texans are living without stable or permanent housing.  Below are the number of people homeless on a given night:

• Austin/Travis County:  3,238 
• San Antonio/Bexar County:  3,372 

The definition of those who are experiencing homelessness includes:

• An individual or family who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, such as those living in emergency shelters, transitional housing, or places not meant for habitation, or

•  An individual or family who will imminently lose their primary nighttime residence (within 14 days), provided that no subsequent housing has been identified and the individual/family lacks support networks or resources needed to obtain housing, or

•  Unaccompanied youth under 25 years of age, or families with children and youth who qualify under other Federal statutes, such as the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, have not had a lease or ownership interest in a housing unit in the last 60 or more days, have had two or more moves in the last 60 days, and who are likely to continue to be unstably housed because of disability or multiple barriers to employment, or

• An individual or family who is fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence, has no other residence, and lacks the resources or support networks to obtain other permanent housing

Source:  Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

The USDA defines food insecurity as a lack of consistent access to enough food for every person in a household to live an active, healthy life.  This can be a temporary situation for a family or can las a long time. 

Food insecurity is one way we measure how many people can’t afford food. 

Food Insecurity stats in Texas (per Feeding Texas)

• More than 1 in 6 Texans are food insecure
•  22.2%, or 1 in 5 Texas children, experience hunger. 
• Texas has the highest rate of senior food insecurity in the nation with 13.6% of Texas seniors at risk for hunger. 
• The overall food insecurity rate for Latinos in Texas is 24%.
• More than 1 in 3 of Black Texans face food insecurity.