LEADERSHIP
DEAR FRIENDS,
At our core, Austin Street Center is an emergency shelter focused on providing safety for the most vulnerable, but we are also an extraordinary place where hope, new beginnings, and transformations occur every day. In 2024, we served 1 in 4 homeless individuals in Dallas and Collin County, and we’re confident that this is based on four unique attributes: our atmosphere, innovation, housing abilities, and collaboration.
These four qualities are pillars that Austin Street Center stands on to ensure our clients receive the best care and experience. We provide a calming environment that is conducive to healing and positive change. We’re proud to wield an innovative and committed team that embraces new ideas before they are widely adopted by the services community. Our case managers are excellent at effective housing and exit more individuals out of homelessness in comparison to similar organizations. And finally, our collaboration is one of a kind. We’re grateful for our intentional partnerships around the metroplex and work alongside a long list of good-hearted organizations to offer comprehensive services that improve our clients' well-being and future.
In addition to the qualities that make us unique, we also offer one-of-a-kind programs. From our free Connector shuttle rides around the community, to our Sisterhood program that extends trauma focused care to women, to our onsite medical respite care that aids our clients with health issues, we are a place that is not just providing a bed with a blanket and warm meals; we are a safe haven focused on restoring the whole person.
In this year’s annual report, you will learn about exciting updates to our Rapid Rehousing program, hear the relatable story of former client, Henry, and become inspired by corporations and donors who humbly support our shelter. We are excited to share the outcomes from a year of opportunity and challenges and thank you for taking the time to stay informed on all the good works taking place at Austin Street Center.
Daniel Roby Chief Executive Officer
Frank Mihalopoulos Chairman of the Board
OUR SERVICES
MISSION
Austin Street Center provides safe shelter and meets the basic needs of the most vulnerable
CORE VALUES
We lean on our values in the shelter and throughout the community: Kindness, Trustworthiness, Empowerment, Determination
VISION
Beyond meeting basic needs, Austin Street is committed to helping our clients regain their independence and find a permanent place to call home. No matter how they got here, we focus on a caring, customized, collaborative approach that involves a variety of services and special programs to remove barriers to permanent housing.
RAPID REHOUSING PROGRAM
HOW IT WORKS
FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS, AUSTIN STREET CENTER HAS OPERATED AN EMERGENCY SHELTER DEDICATED TO ENDING THE HOMELESS EXPERIENCE OF OUR CLIENTS.
While all our case managers work towards placing clients in homes, there is also a Rapid Rehousing team that operates a twelve-month rental assistance program. This initiative helps clients all over Dallas and Collin counties transition from homelessness and into local apartment units with Austin Street providing at-home housing stability case management, rental assistance, and wraparound services with the goal of preventing clients from returning to homelessness.
100% Rent/Utilities $$$
In order to be accepted into the Rapid Rehousing program, individuals must have a low-income household and be homeless in Dallas or Collin County.
Applicants undergo an assessment to ensure that they are likely to uphold a long-term rental lease, as the program is designed for individuals who can grow and maintain their income to sustain housing.
Once admitted, full rental and utility assistance is provided for 3 months. Fees associated with new leases are waived, and participants are gifted move-in kits that offer basic furniture and, at times, groceries so they can begin their new journey in a stable environment.
After 3 months, the program continues to pay a portion of the client’s rent until the end of the program to incentivize employment, build support networks, and prepare clients to take over the costs of rent on their own.
Throughout the 12 months of assistance, clients are in frequent contact with their Austin Street case manager, who helps ensure that each individual is prepared to live independently of assistance after the year has concluded. Case managers make home visits, create a housing stability plan, and review pay stubs and income to track client progress.
In case their current living arrangements are not sustainable, case managers also help find solutions to permanently end homelessness for clients such as finding other affordable living options like income-based housing or facilitating roommate searches.
CLIENT STORY
HDOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROGRAM
enry first came to Austin Street Center in April 2023. He had worked in the funeral business since college but after going through a lengthy divorce, he was faced with mounting debt and an inability to make ends meet financially. Through word-of-mouth, Henry heard that Austin Street Center was an option to get back on his feet. This was his first experience in a shelter and although he felt stressed upon arrival, he was optimistic about his journey towards rebuilding.
“I FEEL CONFIDENT NOW. I GO TO SLEEP AT NIGHT AND DO NOT HAVE TO WORRY.”
Henry was assigned case manager Davidyne Dove, who helped him receive Social Security retirement benefits and apply for food stamps. Based on his qualifying factors, he was eventually enrolled in the Rapid Rehousing program and was transitioned to an apartment in Dallas. His Rapid Rehousing program case manager, Timothy Martin, communicated with Henry often to help ease the process and provided direction to ensure Henry was self-empowered and could reach financial independence.
Austin Street Center recently expanded its Rapid Rehousing programming to provide services to victims of domestic violence and their families. Since our shelter traditionally only accepts men ages 45 and older and women ages 18 and older, Austin Street has never been able to work with homeless families or children – until now. This is the first DV grant awarded to Austin Street Center and case managers are now able to place victims in safe homes and provide them with full rental assistance, counseling services, childcare, mental health care, and more.
Henry is now almost done with the year-long program and has saved enough to afford his rent for next year. He shared that his case manager steered him in the right direction, and described the Rapid Rehousing program as structured and organized. In preparation to live on his own, Henry has begun to pay it forward by serving as a dedicated volunteer at The Human Impact, a group that works to befriend the homeless, bridge the relational gap, and build a long-term community. Henry felt that it was important to give back and also regularly volunteers at Austin Street Center!
DID YOU KNOW?
Austin Street runs one of the largest Rapid Rehousing program in all of Dallas and Collin counties with over 250 households served each year!
COLLABORATING
ACROSS DFW TO SAVE LIVES
Austin Street Center is a place where new beginnings happen. There are thousands of individuals whose lives are transformed for the better through the services we offer inside and outside the walls of our emergency shelter, often in collaboration with local organizations committed to improving lives in our communities.
Without the dedicated partnership of so many institutions, it is safe to say that our efforts to break the cycle of homelessness would not be as effective. We are grateful for the many individuals and groups that support Austin Street Center and are proud to recognize a few organizations that make some of our most successful programs possible.
INCLEMENT WEATHER SHELTER EFFORTS
When life threatening weather events occur, the Austin Street team is on the front lines to ensure that vulnerable neighbors in our community have shelter and basic necessities available.
In 2024, we served almost 2,000 individuals during inclement weather events. These occurrences are a huge collaborative effort where we act quickly to help open temporary shelters across the city. We are the operating partner along with the City of Dallas Office of Homeless Solutions to activate temporary shelters under the City of Dallas Inclement Weather protocol, and we partner with other community organizations, including OurCalling, North Texas Behavioral Health Authority, North Texas Food Bank, The Stewpot, SPCA of Texas, Texas Baptist Men, Housing Forward, and others to save lives together every year.
When dangerous forecasts head towards North Texas in the winter or summer seasons, we excel at uniting with these partners quickly and with limited preparation due to the everchanging weather. Thanks to the long-standing relationships with local organizations, we effectively open shelters at Fair Park, Oak Lawn United Methodist Church, and on our own campus. These organizations and individual volunteers also play a large part in helping operate these shelters through assistance with intake, offering medical care, providing urgent in-kind donations, supplying meals, and more.
In addition to fulfilling the short-term needs of our guests, our Inclement Weather Shelters offer an opportunity to build relationships with guests to provide them with information about our main shelter and housing options which can help end their homelessness.
THE MEDICAL RESPITE PROGRAM
When unsheltered adults are discharged from a hospital setting to the streets, they are at higher risk of poor recovery and health outcomes.
To combat this issue, Austin Street Center partnered with Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas in 2020 to introduce a first-of-its-kind program in Dallas - Health to Home.
The program operates at our shelter and offers dedicated, medically-supervised beds to adults recovering from injury and illness while experiencing homelessness. Since the program’s inception, we have served 292 individuals. The goal for Health to Home is to reduce future hospital admissions for those enrolled in the program and connect those individuals with social and housing services that could positively transform their lives.
In 2024, 93 individuals were enrolled in Health to Home and received medical support from a physician and nurse for an average of four to six
THE CONNECTOR PROJECT
The Dallas Connector Project launched in October 2019 to provide free transportation to individuals experiencing homelessness. The program is a collaboration between the City of Dallas, Austin Street Center, North Texas Behavioral Health Authority, OurCalling, The Stewpot, Salvation Army, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), and other local partners.
Austin Street Center has operated the Connector Project since 2021 and annually provides over 34,000 rides for more than 3,000 individuals experiencing homelessness.
Passengers ride free of charge Monday through Friday to locations where they receive assistance with food, showers, laundry, ID cards, case management, and documentation for housing and employment.
weeks in a safe place for healing. Health to Home provides individualized holistic medical, behavioral health, and wraparound social services to address the underlying causes of homelessness through strategic partnerships.
In addition to participants receiving medical care, they also undergo intensive case management which includes assistance with ID restoration, income planning, and access to other necessary clinical and social services. Through the connection of continued medical and behavioral health resources, the program then transitions individuals to appropriate housing and we are happy to share that 25 medical respite participants made their way to housing in 2024.
Thank you, Texas Health Resources, for spearheading an initiative that saves lives daily. Your partnership is invaluable and highlights the importance of collaboration in our sector.
Over the past five years, the Connector has given 143,000 rides to nearly 13,000 individuals and helped more than 2,300 receive housing services. In addition to operating during the week, the Connector also becomes essential on the frontlines of inclement weather. This program completed almost 2,200 rides in 2024 to individuals seeking refuge at our temporary winter shelter during dangerous weather conditions.
The Connector Project also expanded this year and received a new wheelchair-accessible van thanks to new partner, H-E-B, and North Texas Behavioral Health Authority. We are grateful to have so many partners who understand the importance behind offering transportation to our clients and look forward to serving more riders in the upcoming year!
OUR IMPACT
29,733 Rides completed 24,811 Case management sessions
2,618 Served
1,983 Served by our Inclement Weather Shelter
511 Housed
271 Clients gained employment
196 Impacted by our Outreach Team 84 Diverted from our shelter
CORPORATE DONOR SPOTLIGHT
Supermarket chain H-E-B has slowly opened stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex over the past couple of years, but they have been quick to demonstrate their commitment to our community.
In FY24, the company supported Austin Street Center in a variety of ways, such as helping sponsor our new wheelchair-accessible shuttle for clients, acting as a Presenting Sponsor for our 9th annual No Place Like Home event, awarding our shelter with additional funding in October, and having our clients attend their Feast of Gathering event in November, an initiative of their Hunger Relief Program which works year-round to prevent hunger and brings together the public for a holiday meal. Thank you, H-E-B, for helping us break the cycle of homelessness for so many vulnerable individuals.
SPECIAL EVENTS
May
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
$241,303 RAISED
In the spring, Austin Street Center’s 9th Annual No Place Like Home event took place in downtown Dallas at the Fashion Industry Gallery. The evening was electric with dancing, music from a live band, and bites prepared by Nick & Sam’s Steakhouse. Guests also enjoyed a live sketch artist, photo booth, and a special silent auction that featured extravagant vacation homes, exclusive staycations, and unique local experiences.
Sep 19
NORTH TEXAS GIVING DAY
$180,651 RAISED
Communities Foundation of Texas’ North Texas Giving Day is the largest communitywide giving event in the nation that brings awareness to nonprofits and the issues they serve in the DFW Metroplex. In 2024, Austin Street Center had 430+ individuals donate to our shelter on this special philanthropic day and we were amazed by the generosity from so many!
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
$1,218,994 RAISED
The 24th Annual Humble Beginnings Luncheon themed What Does Hope Look Like? raised funds and awareness around the issues of homelessness in Dallas. Our celebration took place at the Hilton Anatole and featured co-host of NBC’s Today with Jenna & Friends, Jenna Bush Hager, as our keynote speaker. We also recognized the contributions of The Addy Foundation and Texas Health Resources for their service in the community.
NORMATHON
$609,439 RAISED
The 23rd Annual Normathon included three events led by Texas Radio Hall of Fame member Norm Hitzges, with all the proceeds benefiting Austin Street Center. The annual car raffle featured three new vehicles from CrestCars.com, and during the 12 Days of Christmas from December 7-22, one auction item was highlighted daily on 1310AM/96.7FM TheTicket. The event concluded with a full day of broadcasting on December 26 accompanied by an online auction.
Our social enterprise had an exciting first year since rebranding from Xela Aroma! Thank you to all who purchased our luxurious hand-made candles, classic diffusers, room sprays, and hand-washes – all proceeds support our shelter and the clients we serve.
Interested in introducing some splendid smells into your home? Scan the QR code to purchase any of our handpoured products using natural fragrances and essential oils.
VOLUNTEERING
TO HELP THOSE IN NEED
Austin Street Center is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and simply would not be able to focus on the dire needs of our clients without the additional help from countless volunteers.
The good-hearted individuals, groups, corporations, and civic organizations that spend time giving back at our shelter are truly magnificent and assist with so much more than providing meals. We have volunteers helping with our Austin Street Home candle production, overhauling our donation room for optimal organization, working in our New Hope garden, and more.
SCAN THE QR CODE to join our community of volunteers or visit austinstreet.org/volunteer. With every task done and each volunteer hour completed, we are all collaborating to make a positive impact on the clients at Austin Street.
$620,789 Total Value of Volunteer Hours IN 2024 AUSTIN STREET HAD....
2,874 Volunteers
20,790 Volunteer hours completed
TOGETHER WE CAN DO SO MUCH
Austin Street Center depends on a variety of committed groups to help make a difference at our shelter. We want to highlight a few organizations from 2024 that went above and beyond completing special projects, long volunteer hours, and repeat service days to ensure that our clients are taken care of and remain our number one priority.
CORPORATE SPOTLIGHT
Westmount Realty Capital: This Dallasbased commercial real estate investor began partnering with Austin Street in spring 2024 and has already completed 103 volunteer hours! Within a year, they hosted several all-staff volunteer days, led two meal service opportunities, and donated 10 welcome home baskets so that our clients transitioning from homelessness to housing had household necessities to begin their new journeys.
When asked why Westmount chose to give back to Austin Street Center they shared:
“When selecting a philanthropy partner, we sought to find an organization that makes a tangible and lasting difference on the local community. After learning about the impact Austin Street makes in the lives of real, everyday people, the choice was easy. Our Westmount team has enthusiastically embraced onsite Service Event Days and In-Office Donation Drives and it's all thanks to the incredible team at Austin Street Center!”
THANK YOU, WESTMOUNT REALTY CAPITAL, for recognizing and contributing to the transformational work taking place at Austin Street – we truly could not serve our clients in the best way without help from organizations like yours.
FAITH GROUP HIGHLIGHTS
Church of the Incarnation | One of the pillars of this Dallas church is to care for the poor and they have truly answered that call by giving back to those less fortunate at Austin Street. This year, Church of Incarnation completed 423 hours of volunteering at our shelter and nourished our clients by providing dinner service twice a month.
Full Gospel Holy Temple | What started as a 6-person church in South Dallas is now a ministry with thousands of members, many of whom have visited Austin Street Center and contributed to the 847 volunteer hours completed last year. FGHT holds chapel services on-site every Monday, feeds lunch to our neighbors quarterly, and involves their youth in volunteerism by coordinating a huge day of service at our shelter.
Highland Park United Methodist Church | This Dallas church believes in using its spiritual gifts for the good of others in the community. They have held multiple donation drives for our shelter and collected winter items, coats, shoes, and welcome baskets – all important needs for the vulnerable individuals staying at Austin Street. They also host holiday meals every December, in addition to the regular meals they sponsor every month.
Highland Park Presbyterian Church | For almost 100 years, this church has been dedicated to helping people find and follow Jesus, and they have also been outstanding volunteers at Austin Street. They routinely provide and serve dinner twice a month and plan to add a lunch service in 2025. In addition to feeding our clients, their Men’s Ascent group visits quarterly and dedicates time to assisting in our donation room.
Men of Nehemiah | This Dallas Christian organization exists to rebuild the lives of men who have been affected by drug and alcohol addiction. As part of the healing journey of program participants, Men of Nehemiah sends two volunteers every Thursday to assist our Guest Services and Welcome Center desks, which accumulated to 132 hours served in 2024.
DONOR SPOTLIGHT
In 1994, wealth advisor Dodee Frost and recording artist Billy Crockett completed two major milestones: they were pronounced husband and wife and became supporters of Austin Street Center. The Crocketts officially set out on their life together on May 14, 1994, and to commemorate their special day, they chose to intertwine something deeply personal and unique into the festivities – their philanthropy.
Prior to marriage, Dodee and Billy had their own philanthropic interests. Dodee was involved with Shared Housing Center and Billy with Habitat for Humanity, each passionate about helping the less fortunate find permanent housing. As they grew together, it was natural that their first philanthropic endeavor as a couple would surround homelessness and housing. They searched for a Dallas shelter on the frontlines of aiding homeless individuals and were introduced to Austin Street. When they learned about our shelter, they witnessed a clear working model where clients were valued, treated as individuals, and given resources for a better future.
“EVERYONE
HAS RESOURCES TO SHARE.”
| Dodee Crockett
A PIECE OF ADVICE FROM THE
CROCKETTS
When asked how to inspire others to become active in their philanthropy, Dodee shared how their volunteerism evolved. The Crocketts met as teenagers while giving back at their vacation bible school. In the beginning, they donated their time and eventually their ability to give grew with their financial resources and experience. Dodee now serves on multiple boards and Billy leads their family foundation and offers his talented voice through performances and recordings to support charity.
As their wedding day approached, Dodee & Billy reached out to Austin Street and inquired about the cost to run the organization for a day. Their wish was to donate that amount to the shelter as a meaningful way to share their joy as they celebrated their union while also standing in solidarity with those in need. In 2024, when their 30-year anniversary arrived they made the same request and committed to underwriting Austin Street for a day yet again, proving that their desire to stand in solidarity with the vulnerable had not faded after three decades.
The Crocketts have kept their intimate gifts private for many years, but when asked to share their story, they were optimistic that this could inspire others to find unique ways to support Austin Street. The happy couple hopes that readers will stand in solidarity alongside them and help transform the lives of those experiencing homelessness.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Frank Mihalopoulos
Chairman
Chris Kleinert Vice Chair
David M. Rosenberg
Secretary
Rod Washington
Treasurer
Nancy K. Best
Megan D. Burkhart
Michael Cleaver
Norm Hitzges
Nancy Ann Hunt
William M. Lee
Jay McAuley
Carolyn L. Miller
Hon. Jeanne L. Phillips
Michelle Thomas