Acronyms
Best Practices
Intervention Types
in three words
Partner Agencies
Fun Facts about HSO
100

CoC

What is Continuum of Care?

100

Basic necessities like food and a roof over one's head must be provided in order to best address other needs, such as getting a job or resolving substance use.

What is Housing First?

100

Responding, Engaging, Connecting

What is Street Outreach? 

100

The name of this agency comes from the Latin word meaning “charity” or “love.”

What is Caritas of Austin?

100

HSO was originally called this when it was created at APH in 2020

What is the Homeless Strategy Division?

200

HMIS

What is the Homeless Management Information System? 

200

This practice acknowledges the need to understand people's life experiences in order to: 1) deliver effective care and 2) actively avoid re-traumatization.

What is Trauma-Informed Care?

200

Fast, Search, Rent

What is Rapid Re-Housing?

200

This org started with a van that connected homeless individuals with work opportunities

What is The Other Ones Foundation/TOOF?

200

This HSO team member has served as a hostage negotiator.

Who is Melanie Carter?

300

ARPA

What is the American Rescue Plan Act? (2021)

300

Focusing on making substance use safer and offering, but not requiring, options to end reliance on drugs/alcohol are essential parts of this practice

What is Harm Reduction?

300

Safe, Food, Bed

What is Emergency Shelter?

300

There are 5 agencies that had 7 or more Contracts with HSO in 2024. Name 2.

What is Integral Care (9)? LifeWorks (9)? Caritas (8)? Family Endeavors (8)? Family Eldercare (7)?

300

Two of the three departments that contributed staff to the formation of the new HSO Office.

Who are PARD, EMS and/or APH?

400

CA/CE

What is Coordinated Assessment/Coordinated Entry?

400

If you have lived experience and are providing support and mentorship to others by drawing on your own experiences, you are providing this.

What is Peer Support or Peer Counseling?

400

Avoid, Troubleshoot, Support

What is Homelessness Prevention?

400

These two entities are the Public Housing Agencies (PHA) in our community.

What is the Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) and the Housing Authority of Travis County (HATC)?

400

This little one was the first Homeless Strategy baby to be born

Who is Lucy? in 2023

500

The HIC and the PIT

What is the Housing Inventory Count and the Point-In-Time Count?

500

Continuous problem-solving conversations and reassessment of client needs focus this practice on providing minimal assistance to achieve housing stability.

What is Progressive Engagement?

500

Conversation, Immediate, Resolution

What is Diversion? or What is Rapid Exit?

500

This community partner working from the heart of Austin is the creator of the Homelessness Engagement Assistance Response Team (HEART), a partnership that proactively engages with people experiencing homeless to connect them with housing, healthcare and other resources.

What is Downtown Austin Alliance (DAA)?

500

These two staff members hail from the great City of New Orleans.

Who are David and Jade? Maybe Chrisola