Housing nonprofits aim to keep families together From the cover
The approach
Local resources
Peace Lutheran Church is in the process of developing a transitional housing facility for homeless families in far Northwest Austin. The $1.2 million project is expected to break ground in early 2026 and include four apartments, which can house a maximum of six families at a time until permanent housing is secured. The church is working with HomeAid Austin as the construction partner and Foundation for the Homeless to manage daily operations. During their 90-day stay, families will receive help with case management, limited nancial assistance and connections to community resources for services such as mental health care, said Monte Osburn, executive director of Foundation for the Homeless. The housing development is approximately 75% funded. HomeAid Austin requires projects to raise 100% of the budget before breaking ground with the intention to match the building’s cost in in-kind labor. Throughout the planning process, Becky Reinhart,
member of the Peace Lutheran Church, has been cataloging project meetings to eventually create a toolkit for other nonpro ts to use as a resource in replicating the housing development structure. The materials are meant to give churches guidance on the correct processes for di erent administrative tasks, such as signing contracts and approving invoices. In the last four to six months, other organizations have expressed interest in using the model in the future, Williams said. The process owchart is expected to be developed after the housing development is fully built. Other nonpro ts are working on similar transitional housing facilities, such as Hill Country Community Ministries. There are few transitional housing options in the Austin area that cater to families, and those that do have limited capacity. “We get calls every day, not just needing rental assistance, but [people saying], ‘I need somewhere to go. I need somewhere to take my family,’” said Tiesa Hollaway, executive director of HCCM. “And we have nowhere to send them.”
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Hill Country Community Ministries 1005 Lacy Drive, Leander • Food pantry • Case management • Diaper distribution • Thrift store (1501 Leander Drive) Peace Family Housing (open 2026) 10625 N. FM 620, Austin • Housing • Financial counseling • Case management
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SOURCES: FOUNDATION FOR THE HOMELESS, HILL COUNTRY COMMUNITY MINISTRIES, HOMEAID AUSTIN, PEACE FAMILY HOUSING PROJECT, PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCH COMMUNITY IMPACT
Putting it in perspective
The background
according to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing, but faced challenges that prohibited breaking ground. The church is located in the extraterritorial jurisdiction and not repre- sented by Austin City Council and does not pay Austin property taxes, but does have to comply with the city’s environmental regulations, accord- ing to Austin City Council member Krista Laine. The church was going to have to pay an esti- mated $275,000 water supply mitigation fee to move forward with construction. City Council approved a fee waiver July 24.
Discussions began six years ago when former Austin City Council member Jimmy Flanagan invited several churches to a meeting where he outlined his vision. The goal was to harness church resources like land, facilities and connec- tions to aid housing insecurity in the Austin area. “Churches have valuable assets, and they also know how to reach out to people in the commu- nity and how important it is for us to help people,” Reinhart said. After years of development, Peace Lutheran Church expected construction to start Sept. 1,
A 2024 Wilco Homeless Coalition study found 89 individuals living on the streets in Williamson County. The study is conducted by volunteers and is dependent on public awareness. The next count is expected to happen in January 2026. “We have more folks than people know,” Wilco Homeless Coalition Chair Christel Erick- son-Collins said. “There’s a lack of visibility.”
Peace Family Housing Project development timeline
Housing by the numbers
2019
• Peace Lutheran meets with council member Jimmy Flanagan to discuss housing
Four units, two of which are dual-occupancy
Suite D
Suite A
2021 • Foundation for the Homeless agrees to be service provider
Houses four to six families
• Peace Family Housing selected as HomeAid Austin project
Porch
Kitchen
Living
Families can stay for approximately three months
2025 • Austin City Council waives $275,000 environmental fee
Suite C
Suite B
Early 2026
Projected to serve 16-24 families in a year
• Project expected to break ground
SOURCES: FOUNDATION FOR THE HOMELESS, HOMEAID AUSTIN, PEACE FAMILY HOUSING PROJECT, PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCH/COMMUNITY IMPACT
SOURCE: PEACE FAMILY HOUSING PROJECT/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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