Front Steps, Inc.

Our Recuperative Care Program is a collaboration between Front Steps and Central Health. Homeless clients who are too sick to be discharged to a shelter or the streets, but not sick enough to warrant acute hospital placement, are placed in a nursing home for the duration of their illness. Front Steps provides intensive case management to address income, housing, and self-care needs.

Following nursing home placement, clients are moved to transitional housing, with ongoing support to assist them in obtaining permanent housing and maintaining their health. Despite long periods of homelessness and lack of involvement in the social service system prior to entering the program, the Recuperative Care clients have demonstrated great success in achieving goals, such as obtaining government disability benefits, becoming clean and sober, and re-establishing contact with family, and have largely been able to remain housed and out of the hospital systems.

Our Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) provides long-term housing with ongoing case management for clients leaving the streets/shelters and not yet able to be fully independent. Permanent supportive housing is a proven solution to homelessness for the most vulnerable chronically homeless people–pairing housing with case management and supportive services. The PSH model is evidence-based, having proved the cost/benefit of providing housing and reducing the negative consequences of drug/alcohol use rather than requiring that clients solve their problems with substance abuse, mental illness and poverty while they are still homeless. The primary goal of PSH case management is to ensure clients remain housed and do not return to homelessness. Other goals include increasing income, developing self-care skills in the areas of mental and physical health, developing positive relationships, and becoming an active and contributing member of a community.

In Austin, over 900 Veterans have been housed and Veteran homelessness is down significantly since 2011 when Veterans accounted for over 14% of the homeless population. Currently, Veterans account for less than 3% of the homeless population. Texas has the second highest concentration of veterans in the nation and Austin is one of five areas of veteran concentration in the state. In 2016 the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness certified Austin as having effectively ended Veteran Homelessness. When we say we have “functionally ended” Veteran homelessness, we have reached a point where we are housing more Veterans than those who are being identified as homeless. This means that any Veteran who becomes homeless and wants housing will move into permanent housing within an average of 90 days of connecting with our community-based response system.

Support Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) is made possible with funding to Front Steps from the US Department of Veterans Affairs. SSVF provides short term, rapid rehousing assistance with intensive case management to very low-income veteran families to obtain stable permanent housing. The SSVF program focuses on intensive case management to help participants increase their ability to sustain permanent housing and reach their greatest potential. Housing Stability Specialists will work with veteran families to identify their housing stability goals such as locating affordable rental housing, obtaining or maintaining employment, budgeting, or applying for VA and public benefits. In addition to working with a Housing Stability Specialist, the SSVF program is able to provide temporary financial assistance to the veteran household for some expenses relating to housing stability.


Our Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program (HVRP) is funded by the US Department of Labor. We work with veterans to secure employment, refer individuals to the Veterans Administration for benefits, and provide transitional or permanent housing to veteran households. Separation from the services, an event unique to veterans, is a major life change that may precipitate homelessness when the service person is insufficiently prepared for civilian life. Difficulty readjusting to civilian life frequently precedes a period of homelessness. Lack of employment, or underemployment, has also put housing out of reach for many veterans.

“Housing for Texas Heroes” funding from the Texas Veterans Commission allows Front Steps to diversify services currently provided to very low-income, homeless Veterans and their families. This project will work alongside and provide services not currently provided by “Supportive Services for Veterans/Families” (SSVF) funding from the VA. Our SSVF program focuses on intensive case management to help participants increase their ability to sustain permanent housing and reach their greatest potential. Housing Stability Specialists work with Veterans to identify housing stability goals such as locating affordable rental housing, obtaining or maintaining employment, budgeting, or applying for Veterans Administration (VA) and public benefits. We have funding for short term, rapid rehousing assistance to very low-income veteran families to obtain stable permanent housing and temporary financial assistance to veteran’s households for some expenses relating to housing stability. Department of Labor funding for our “Homeless Veteran Reintegration Program” allows us to provide job training and placement services that allows Veterans to secure and maintain stable housing.

Services for Veterans and their families are based out of our Veterans Services Office at 2211 South IH35 Suite 301 Austin, TX 78741.

Rapid rehousing provides short-term rental assistance and services. The goals are to help people obtain housing quickly, increase self- sufficiency, and stay housed. It is offered without preconditions (such as employment, income, absence of criminal record, or sobriety) and the resources and services provided are typically tailored to the needs of the person.

Rapid re-housing is a primary solution for ending homelessness. It has been demonstrated to be effective in getting people experiencing homelessness into permanent housing and keeping them there. By connecting people with a home, they are in a better position to address other challenges that may have led to their homelessness, such as obtaining employment or addressing substance abuse issues. The intervention has also been effective for people traditionally perceived to be more difficult to serve, including people with limited or no income and survivors of domestic violence.

Research demonstrates that those who receive rapid re-housing assistance are homeless for shorter periods of time than those assisted with shelter or transitional housing. Rapid re-housing is also less expensive than other homeless interventions, such as shelter or transitional housing.

AmeriCorps is an effective private-public partnership. Grants from The Corporation for National and Community Service, are used by schools, non-profits, faith-based groups, and others to strengthen communities across the nation.

Keep Austin Housed places 35 full-time Americorps members at ten different non-profits in Austin, Texas, where they work directly with individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless. Keep Austin Housed members help more than 250 individuals obtain safe, stable, and affordable housing each year. We work for Austin, and we want you to be a part of it!