Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center

After nearly a decade on the streets, Benny is home! Battling complex physical and chronic health issues, Benny was never able to get over the hump and into housing after his early retirement. This happens to many of our older clients who daily have to choose between their health and their housing journey. For years, we tried and then tried and then tried again to get him off the streets or out of his vehicle and into a place. It didn’t work, it fell apart and then didn’t work again. We were frustrated.

Until we tried just one more time. And sometimes that’s what it takes.

Why it worked the 8th time, we can only speculate, but we are thankful for this day and thankful for our team that never gives up. Welcome home, Benny. On to the next.

Diana was in search of stable housing for herself and her three granddaughters after escaping an abusive relationship. With the help of Sunrise's Wayfinder program, she was able to pay the deposit on a 4 bed/2 bath apartment and provide a safe place for her family.

“It’s lovely to see my grandbabies smile. They have their own space and I can cook in the kitchen for them. They’ll be able to have amazing memories."

Her journey is one of resilience, courage, and a community that showed up when she needed it the most. Read her full story on our blog: https://ow.ly/joZ350Z5gMf

Clients come to Sunrise to do something most of us never think twice about: picking out their own clothes. Our biweekly clothing closet provides autonomy and self-expression for our unhoused neighbors, something most of us take for granted.

We're in need of donations to fill our Clothing Closet and other summer items:
👕Summer clothing
🩲New men and women's underwear
🎒Backpacks and sleeping bags
🧊Ice patches or packs and cooling towels
🧴Sunscreen, aloe vera with lidocaine, and bug wipes
💦Water, reusable water bottles, and electrolyte packets
🛍️Check out these items on our summer wish list: https://ow.ly/gSKV50Z4ma8

Donations can be dropped off at our Donation Shed on Monday-Friday from 8:30 AM-1: 30 PM. Thank you for helping to keep our unhoused neighbors safe in this Texas heat!

Libraries are one of the most-used community locations for people experiencing homelessness and amazing Austin Public Library staff often pinch-hit as social workers. Every week, Sunrise partners with libraries in Austin and other Central Texas communities to provide support through in-person outreach workers, sendsunrise.org, all-day hotline support and even de-escalation training for library staff. Everyday people who care are on the front lines of homelessness support in Austin and we’re there to support them.

Watching our neighbors pick up their moving cost checks never gets old. Six people find a home through Sunrise every single day, and today we got to witness a few of those moments up close.

Through early intervention and rapid-exit services, Sunrise is committed to meeting people where they are and walking with them all the way to the door of what's next.
Second chances look really good on people.

Former client Kiko shared his remarkable success story at our Shindig on April 30:

“For a long time I was in a bad place and Sunrise never turned me away.”

“From 2014-2018 I was homeless. During that time Sunrise was one of the places where I could come get a meal and support. Even when my life was at its lowest, Sunrise was there. Lunch, coffee, somewhere to get my mail. Through people there I was introduced to recovery and my priorities started to change.”

“Now I have four kids ranging from 12 to 2. If you would’ve told me 10 years ago when I was coming to Sunrise for services that someone would entrust me with that I would say you’re crazy. Looking back, I don’t know how I got here but Sunrise was there for me when I needed it. They met me where I was at and when I was ready to take steps to rebuild my life, they became some of my biggest supporters.”

Here’s to you, Kiko, and all the other thousands of folks Sunrise empowers to end their own homelessness with our help!

Sunrise's Mobile Outreach team met Benny at his encampment with consistency and care, building trust over the past seven months.

From there, our team provided essentials:
🧡 Got a phone for him so he could reconnect with his sister and stay in touch with the team
🧡 Updated his housing assessments
🧡 Worked on securing identification and exploring options for emplacement

Once shelter beds were available, we immediately coordinated to bring Benny in that same day. He was safe indoors, showered, and fed within hours — a big change from feeling completely hopeless the week prior.

Benny is now one step closer to stable housing and for the first time in a long time, he’s not facing the journey alone.

Our Wayfinder team housed 147 clients last month!👏🏼🎊

That's 147 people who now have a place to call home, in just the past 30 days. Our Wayfinder team works hard to make this possible for our Austin neighbors. 💛