The Homeless Strategy Contracting Unit administers contract agreements with homeless service agencies for the City of Austin using federal, state and local funding.
For questions about contracting with the Homeless Strategy Office please contact us at HSDContracts@austintexas.gov.
Homeless Services Investments
HSO has contract agreements grouped into the following different homeless issue areas or interventions:
- HSO Homeless Issue Area Descriptions
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Basic Needs
Services that help persons or households stay stably housed including childcare vouchers, Social Security Income/Social Security Disability Insurance Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) specialists, representative payee and home health aides, employment programs and other programs.
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Homeless Prevention Services
Services and financial assistance for persons and families who are unstably housed who need short-term assistance to resolve their housing crisis. Includes case management, eviction prevention and short-term financial assistance.
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Street Outreach
Services that engage people experiencing unsheltered homelessness, addresses urgent needs, and connects them to homeless services and permanent housing opportunities.
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Diversion and Rapid Exit
Services that assist people to resolve their immediate housing crisis by accessing alternatives to entering emergency shelter or the experience of unsheltered living. If a person has entered shelter, rapid exit assists them move quickly back into housing with minimal financial support.
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Homeless Shelters
Shelter and services that provide a safe and secure environment for individuals and families who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. Shelters provide beds as well as access to housing programs, social services and other resources to get people housed. This includes the cold weather shelter operations.
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Rapid Rehousing
Service and financial assistance to quickly move individuals experiencing homelessness into housing while providing time-limited supports. including up to 24 months of tenant-based rental assistance and supportive services. The fundamental goal of rapid rehousing is to reduce the amount of time a person is homeless.
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Permanent Supportive Housing
Permanent housing in which housing assistance (e.g., long-term leasing or rental assistance) and supportive services are provided to assist households with at least one member (adult or child) with a disability in achieving housing stability.
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Homeless Response System Support
Community planning with the Ending Community Homeless Coalition (ECHO) to support the Continuum of Care service providers and the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) administration.
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Contracting with HSO
Below you will find find information about contracting with HSO including funding competitions, standard agreement documents and agency training.
All competitions for Social Services funding can be found on the HSO Competitions website.
- Funding Competition Information
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All competitions for Social Services funding can be found on the HSO Competitions website.
To receive notifications of Homeless Strategy Office competitions, please send us an email.
Interested Applicants Start Here
HSO accepts applications in PartnerGrants. All Interested applicants must register in PartnerGrants by following these steps.
1. Confirm that their organization is a registered vendor with the City of Austin.
- To find the City of Austin Vendor Number please visit Austin Finance Online and search for the organization’s legal name.
- To register to become a potential City of Austin vendor, go to Austin Finance Online to register.
2. Visit the PartnerGrants site and click on “Register Here.” Note that the organization’s City of Austin Vendor number is required to complete registration.
- Standard Agreement Documents