Module 5b. Spotlighting Local Collaborations: Austin, Texas, Multiagency Partnerships

Austin, Texas, is home to a multiagency collaboration that comes together to support people experiencing homelessness locally. The Homeless Outreach Street Team (HOST) is an interdisciplinary group comprising the Austin Police Department (APD), emergency medical services (EMS), Downtown Austin Community Court (DACC), and Integral Care. HOST proactively seeks out community members living on the streets of Austin, learns the challenges they face, and connects them to services with the ultimate goal of housing. HOST is one part of the community’s approach to making homelessness in Austin rare, brief, and nonrecurring. DACC uses a client-centered and housing-focused intensive case management model to help individuals experiencing homelessness achieve long-term stability; this program offers voluntary referral, public benefits enrollment, and other community resource management services for people experiencing homelessness. Integral Care offers support to adults and children living with mental illness, substance use disorder, and intellectual and developmental disabilities in Travis County. The Downtown Austin Alliance has been a long-time supporter and champion of the HOST team by offering opportunities for partnership, development, and funding. The Downtown Alliance, representing the ownership of nearly 900 commercial properties in the Austin Downtown Public Improvement District, supports the HOST team’s work and provides direct services to downtown and advocates for and invests in local organizations’ efforts. In the linked video, this collaboration talks about promising practices on resource- and information-sharing and on how they use peer specialists throughout their programming.

Panel Members

Officer Shelly Borton
Officer, City of Austin Police Department

Andy Hofmeister, EMT-P
Assistant Chief
Austin/Travis County EMS

Daniel Rossi
Peer Specialist, HOST Team

Pete Valdez, LMSW
Court Administrator, Downtown Austin Community Court

Panel facilitated by Bill Brice
Vice President, Investor Relations, Downtown Austin Alliance

Recommendations

  1. Different approaches and perspectives are needed for a program to be successful. A multiagency collaboration offers you the chance to learn different perspectives and new ways to tackle problems. By partnering with leaders in business and business improvement districts, law enforcement agencies open the door to new services, funding streams, and solutions. Organizations like the Downtown Austin Alliance have the ability and opportunity to advocate for your program and offer community support; partnering with them gives your team the chance to work with experts focused on new initiative development and brings stakeholders to the table to focus on their common missions. Working with people who have experienced homelessness provides critical perspectives to these initiatives. Honor the feedback and the ideas of people with lived experience; they are subject matter experts who can offer you clear solutions. 
  2. Get creative. When thinking about developing or enhancing your team, look at your local resources and select the right partners for what works the best for your specific need and location. It is important to not oversaturate your team but instead select the right partners for the right roles. Be clear about the team’s expectations and your limitations so that you may serve your clients while also knowing when to refer them to other community resources and partners.
  3. Partner with a health service provider. Austin/Travis County EMS offers onsite medical care for HOST clients and potential clients. At times, potential or current clients may not be willing to talk to or work with a police officer for a variety of reasons; however, many will not turn down medical care. By partnering with a medical service provider, you not only show an understanding of the health needs of your clients and show commitment to supporting them but also offer a new engagement strategy for this and future interactions.
  4. Take time to find your champion. It takes time to find leaders who will allocate staff and resources to this work. Leaders who are willing to talk and be creative on how to staff your initiative are integral to this work. Your team may already have champions in place; if so, continue to cultivate and support these individuals to sustain your work and continue success. 
  5. Start small. New initiatives do not always need to be jurisdiction-wide; they can start small and scale up. By starting small, you can clearly identify your target population and your partners’ expertise. This approach allows you to test strategies, repurpose funds, and develop new program and funding strategies. During this time, continue to think about how you will collect and report data to measure success.

Resources

Learn more about the Austin Partners:

View the full Sharing the Solutions: Police-Court Partnerships to Address Homelessness multimedia toolkit.