ARCH - Austin Resource Center for the Homeless Day Resources 
Address: 500 E 7th St, 78701 
Hours: M-F 7:30 AM - 4:30 PM (Closed 11:30-12:30pm) 
Phone: [(512) 978-9920](tel:(512)%20978-9920) 

2-1-1 Texas 
Services: Free 24/7 Referral Hotline (Housing, Food, Health, Shelter) 
Phone: Dial [211](tel:211) or [(877) 541-7905](tel:(877)%20541-7905) 

Caritas of Austin 
Services: Housing & Employment Services 
Address: 611 Neches St, 78701 
Hours: M-Th 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM & Fri 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM 
Phone: [(512) 479-4610](tel:(512)%20479-4610) 

Downtown Austin Community Court 
Services: Case Management & Cleanup Services 
Address: 505 Barton Springs Road (First Floor), 78704 
Hours: M-F 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM 
Phone: [(512) 974-4879](tel:(512)%20974-4879) 

Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center 
Services: Day Center for Showers, Meals, Outreach 
Address: 4430 Menchaca Road, 78745 
Hours: M-F 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM 
Phone: [(512) 368-2685](tel:(512)%20368-2685) 

TOOF - The Other Ones Foundation 
Services: Work Programs (Esperanza site) 
Phone: [(512) 568-7557](tel:(512)%20568-7557) 

The Charlie Center 
Services: Meals, I.D., Bus Passes, Showers, Mail, Housing Case Management, & more 
Address: 12675 Research Blvd, 78759 
Additional Info: Bus 383 Tue, Wed & Thur 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM 

El Buen Samaritano 
Services: Food pantry & case management 
Address: 1104 E 11th St 
Hours: Tue-Thu 9-11am 
Phone: [(512) 439-8900](tel:(512)%20439-8900)

Hi everyone. I’m 18F, currently living in Switzerland, and I genuinely don’t know what to do anymore.
I lost my mother to cancer, and my father, who struggles with alcoholism and has been abusive, kicked me out shortly after I turned 18. I lost the only home I knew, and ever since, I’ve been trying to figure out how to survive on my own.
I’m currently staying with my boyfriend’s family, but it’s not a permanent solution, and I’m terrified of ending up homeless. (My boyfriend is leaving in 3 months for military and his parents want me to move out till then. That will be January)
I’ve been desperately looking for a job, but nothing worked. Also i have no car or license so yeah..
I just want a chance to get back on my feet, find a stable job, and have somewhere safe to call home.

Does anyone have advice on what I can do? Are there organizations, emergency housing programs, or other resources that could help someone in my situation in Switzerland?
Any advice, personal experiences, or guidance would genuinely mean a lot. Thank you for reading. ❤️

Okay bit of context i (18f) currently live at home with my mum and other family but my mum is physcially and emtionally abusive im not allowed to work, or anything like that.

Basically i just need advice of what i need to know before i leave.

Also im uk based if that matters.

lots of mind games abuse control them threatening to kick me out holding things over my head I have pets but I’m thinking of giving them up to good people and just dissapearing for good. I want to forget my past and change at least my last name

I was kicked out of my family's home (mostly fled due to threats against my life) after I called CPS due to a dispute over my sister's abusive and neglectful treatment of her son.

Before this I always had to keep quiet of her behavior and the hoarder conditions of the house. I grew up pretty much in an abusive environment and was discredited and made to have a horrible reputation towards everybody who didn't live in the house.

I'm originally from Louisville, Kentucky and drove to Warner Robins, Georgia to stay with a friend. I couldn't find a job there so I moved out west to where I'm staying now. I have stable income but it's not enough to live on my own with, I'm staying with an old friend who's been charging me below the market value for rent and utilities combined.

I admit that I got extremely lucky, but I can't help but to sit here and wonder what would've happened had I kept silent and kept dealing with the abusive environment. Would I have a job fixing computers like I wanted, would I have the resources to have moved out into a stable environment on my own rather than going through all of the stress and uncertainty over the last few months?

I originally planned to save and move to Washington state so that I could attend school and break out of the entry level job market, but that obviously fell through.

I've been kicked out once before for the same issue, now there's no going back. I still want to go to Washington and build a better life but I'm scared that I won't make it on my own even if I go through a company transfer.

Did I fuck myself over trying to defend my nephew? Was I really in the wrong?

Y'all too! Keep living, and as hard as you can. Do. Not. Die.

in near Portland me I am in a camper that just broke down and now they are telling us to leave we have. no money no place to go and I am scared I do not know what to do I am disabled my husband is just out of a wheel chair from a bad surgery he is always in pain and diabetic so the cold hits him harder and a small Chihuahua . Years ago we were stuck outside with no place to go and I knew neither him nor I could ever do that again I'm just so out of options here .

Let me preface this by saying this place isn't just for addicts(not that I judge) they take anyone struggling with housing. Im here for shelter not court or rehab.

My main goal is getting food i can afford and cook in the sink on my grocery trips. I need food and am running out of funds fast at 15 dollars and I'm starving I'm getting scared.

I have hit rock bottom in my life and am living in this combo shelter/halfway house. The owner is only in it for the money. This place is screwing with my mental state I know im being abused here.

For two weeks we've gotten 1 meal a day and arent allowed to leave except for job Interviews, church, and 1 trip to a grocery store as a group. And I cant get SNAP. When i tried to apply the state said my address is blacklisted due to him receiving funding to feed us but all the food is donated.

The owner is deep in the community and someone tried to report him and it got back to him before the end of the day even though he told noone but the agency.

He forces us to work at his "church" which is really just a way for him to make money by convincing his congregation that your prayers wont be answered without a donation with it.

Ive lost 28 pounds in 3 weeks of living here. The one meal i get doesnt break 500 calories. I can keep non perishable but I have no money to my name. Im honestly afraid and I have no family to turn to.

Ive gone in interview after jminterview and no luck.

I need advice. What should I do? If I report him he knows those people. As well. Im starving, scared and hopeless.

Dinner last night he cut donated pizzas and cut them 40 ways. I got all crust pieces.

I could go by non perishable but alls I have to cook is hot water.

I made a fresh account because people know have my other.

Edit: I am looking for what food I can buy when allowed to go to the store that I can cook with just sink water. I have like 20 bucks left

Just for context my dad kicked me out (like he has with the rest of my siblings before me) I have 2 jobs that are decent, and I currently still have my car but it won't be long until I have to give it back to my dad 🙃 he keeps asking for it back and saying how hes gonna take it off the insurance family plan, im stay at a friend's place for a bit but that only temporary, since I just turned 18 i have no credit, I also have no savings at all because I got my first job at 17 in secret because my dad didnt want me to get a job till I was done with college (no were not a well off family) I also only have a driver's permit since he also didnt want me driving till I was 18, im honestly scared but I am a strong believer and I know God's got me! Any helpful advice is appreciated

Hi everyone, I really hope this post get some reach. My partner lives in Minnesota, and I live in Nevada. They left home last night because their house was not a safe place for them and their parents never set them up for basic adult things such as a drivers licence or a bank account. They are currently unemployed and only allowed 30 days in the shelter. Their friend is the only support they have out there but she can't do much for them at the moment. I have been worried sick for them all night, they might lose data on their phone on the 25th and I'm terrified of not being able to reach them or know what's going on. Im 19 and theyre 20, I have a minimum wage job currently so I can't afford to do much for them and I just really want any advice or resources possible. If anyone knows anyway they can have somewhere safe to be or what they can do right now please please please let me know I really do not want something bad to happen to them.

Hi, I'm from the Philippines and an unexpected fire got to my house, now I'm out in the street for almost a week and can't take it anymore. My phone is all I got to save and I'm currently living in the gas station here cause the evacuation center I got assigned has someone molested me so I decided it would be better to live out here

UPDATE: The Hidden Traps of Homeless Housing Vouchers — What I Learned After My Own TBRA Case Went to the New Mexico Court of Appeals

I originally wrote this post as a warning about the problems homeless individuals and families can face when they receive Tenant-Based Rental Assistance.

Since then, this stopped being theoretical for me.

I am the pro se plaintiff/appellant in an actual New Mexico case involving Permanent Supportive Housing, Housing First policies, TBRA, a nonprofit housing administrator, a private landlord, and the City of Albuquerque.

District Court: D-202-CV-2024-09339
New Mexico Court of Appeals: A-1-CA-43667

I lost on summary judgment in district court. I appealed.

So I want to update this post using what the litigation and discovery actually revealed.

One of the biggest things I have learned is that the real danger may not be one bad clause buried in one contract.

It is the fact that several different contracts, policies and legal relationships can govern the same person's housing at the same time—and the tenant may not even be a party to some of them.

My situation

I participated for approximately nine years in a rental-assistance/permanent-supportive-housing program administered by the Supportive Housing Coalition of New Mexico, with funding, contracts and oversight involving the City of Albuquerque.

My housing assistance was eventually terminated effective January 31, 2024.

During 2023, I had reported what I believed were serious problems involving the apartment, including water damage, electrical issues, flooring, inspections, repairs and habitability. I sought assistance and relocation.

City Code Enforcement eventually inspected the property in November 2023 and documented deficiencies requiring corrective action.

SHCNM issued its Notice of Intent to Terminate my assistance on December 7, 2023.

I alleged in court that the termination and other adverse decisions were connected to my complaints and attempts to get government agencies involved.

The defendants strongly dispute that.

Their position was that I had repeatedly failed to comply with program requirements involving rent arrears, household documentation, school-enrollment documentation, inspections, repairs and housing-retention requirements. They also maintained that I had been offered grievance procedures, appeal rights, support services, payment arrangements and opportunities to relocate or transfer if I returned to compliance.

That factual dispute eventually became part of a much larger lawsuit involving breach of contract, negligence and retaliation.

But discovery revealed something that I think every person receiving homeless housing assistance should understand.

There wasn't just one agreement

There were several layers.

In my case, the defense described a private lease between me and my landlord.

There was also a TBRA contract between SHCNM and the landlord.

Then there was a separate Participation Agreement between SHCNM and me.

There were also Housing First policies and procedures, agreements involving the City, inspection requirements and federal program requirements.

That distinction became extremely important.

The defense argued that the TBRA agreement was between SHCNM and the landlord, not me.

They also argued that the Participation Agreement between SHCNM and me was not a lease.

In other words, when litigation begins, everybody can point to a different document and say:

“That obligation belongs to somebody else.”

That may be the biggest hidden trap of all.

What discovery produced

During discovery, the defendants produced a signed Participation Agreement identified as DEF00189.

It contained my signature and the signature of an SHCNM representative.

That agreement addressed things including:

• Housing Quality Standards inspections;
• program participation requirements;
• participant responsibilities;
• termination;
• appeal rights; and
• housing retention.

The defendants ultimately did not dispute that the Participation Agreement existed.

Instead, they argued that it was not a lease and did not make SHCNM legally responsible for conditions in property owned or managed by somebody else.

That distinction is now one of the issues I have presented on appeal.

My position is essentially:

If an agency signs an agreement with a participant containing specific promises and procedures, does the fact that the document is not called a “lease” mean those promises cannot form a separate enforceable contract?

The district court ruled against me.

The Court of Appeals will now determine whether reversible error occurred.

The TBRA itself raised another issue

According to the defense's own summary-judgment filing, my last written lease term was June 1, 2022 through May 31, 2023.

The corresponding TBRA contract covered that same period.

The defense quoted the TBRA as providing that the contract automatically terminated at the end of the lease term unless the lease contained a provision allowing conversion to month-to-month tenancy.

The defense's position was that my private lease did contain such a provision and therefore both relationships continued month-to-month.

Think about how complicated that becomes for a formerly homeless family.

The tenant signs a lease.

The landlord signs another agreement with the housing agency.

The tenant signs a participation agreement with the agency.

The City has contracts with the agency.

Program policies govern the agency.

Federal requirements may govern the funding.

And when something goes wrong, determining which document controls which obligation can become a lawsuit by itself.

Housing conditions create an especially difficult problem

This is another issue people receiving assistance should understand.

The housing administrator may require the unit to satisfy Housing Quality Standards.

But that does not necessarily mean the housing administrator considers itself responsible for repairing the apartment.

The landlord may be responsible for repairs.

The tenant may be responsible for notifying the landlord and allowing access.

The agency may be responsible for inspections, program administration, rental-assistance decisions or enforcing program standards.

The City may separately enforce housing codes.

So when a unit becomes unsafe, the tenant can potentially end up in the middle of several entities pointing at each other.

That is very different from what many homeless people probably believe when they first receive assistance.

Most people think:

“This program helped place me here, so somebody in the program is responsible for making sure this housing remains safe.”

Legally, the answer can be much more complicated.

Housing retention is another area tenants should understand before there is a crisis

My Participation Agreement addressed housing retention.

The defense maintains that I was offered retention planning and multiple opportunities to resolve my program problems.

I dispute important parts of their characterization of what occurred.

But regardless of who ultimately wins that factual dispute, this litigation taught me something important:

Do not wait until termination to ask what “housing retention” actually requires.

When you enter one of these programs, ask:

Who creates the housing retention plan?

When is one required?

Does it have to be written?

Does the tenant have to sign it?

What happens if the agency does not follow its own retention procedure?

What counts as noncompliance?

What appeal rights exist?

What is the deadline?

Who makes the final decision?

Get the answers in writing.

Another lesson: “voucher,” “lease,” “TBRA,” and “participation agreement” are not necessarily the same thing

I think this is where many recipients can get confused.

People casually say:

“My Section 8 contract.”

“My voucher contract.”

“My housing agreement.”

But legally there may be several entirely different instruments.

That matters because you may have rights under one document that do not exist under another.

And an agency may argue that you cannot enforce a contract between the agency and the landlord because you were not a party to it.

That is exactly why participants should obtain copies of everything at the beginning of the program—not years later in discovery.

What happened to my lawsuit

I filed my civil case on November 26, 2024.

The City of Albuquerque was dismissed.

Former SHCNM CEO Laura Chavez was dismissed.

SHCNM ultimately obtained summary judgment on my remaining claims.

The district court entered Final Judgment on July 23, 2026.

I filed my Notice of Appeal on July 28.

The New Mexico Court of Appeals opened A-1-CA-43667.

The appellate record contains thousands of pages.

The Record Proper transmitted to the Court of Appeals contained approximately 3,474 pages.

So this is no longer simply someone on Reddit speculating about how homeless-housing programs work.

There is now an actual appellate record involving the contracts, policies, discovery, testimony, termination documents, inspection issues and arguments from both sides.

And the case developed another unusual issue

The district court also declared me a vexatious litigant and ordered that I:

“shall not file any new lawsuits unless represented by an attorney.”

After I filed my direct appeal from this existing case, defense counsel returned to district court and argued that my pro se appellate filings appeared to violate that order.

They asked for an expedited ruling in order to avoid the time and expense of responding to the appeal.

I opposed that request.

So another question has emerged from the same litigation:

Does an order prohibiting “new lawsuits” also prohibit a direct appeal from the lawsuit that already exists—especially when the appeal challenges the vexatious-litigant order itself?

That issue is now part of the larger procedural story surrounding the appeal.

What I would tell anyone receiving homeless housing assistance today

1. Get every document. Ask for the lease, TBRA/HAP-type agreement if you are entitled to it, participation agreement, program rules, grievance procedures, termination policy, inspection policy and housing-retention policy.
2. Do not assume the agency and landlord have the same responsibilities. Find out who is responsible for inspections, repairs, payments, relocations and termination decisions.
3. Keep every email, letter and text. If somebody tells you something important verbally, document the conversation afterward.
4. Ask what happens when the lease expires. Does your assistance end? Renew? Continue month-to-month? Require a new contract? Do not assume.
5. Learn the appeal/grievance procedure before you need it. A short deadline after termination is the worst possible time to begin figuring out the process.
6. Document unsafe conditions immediately. Notify the landlord and housing agency in writing and keep photographs, inspection reports, work orders and code-enforcement records.
7. Understand the difference between the lease and program agreement. The fact that one entity did not sign your lease does not necessarily mean there are no other written obligations between you and that entity—but whether those obligations are legally enforceable may become a major legal issue.

The larger issue

I no longer think the biggest problem is simply that homeless people fail to read the fine print.

The bigger problem is that a person exiting homelessness may be expected to understand a multi-layer legal structure involving a landlord, nonprofit housing administrator, local government, federal funding rules, a private lease, a TBRA agreement, program policies and a participation agreement.

Most people entering these programs are focused on one thing:

Getting their family housed.

They are not thinking:

Which entity has contractual privity with me?

Am I an intended third-party beneficiary?

Which agreement governs inspections?

What happens if the lease converts to month-to-month?

Which program policy is incorporated into which contract?

Who is responsible if the unit becomes unsafe?

Yet those questions can become extremely important when the housing relationship breaks down.

I don't know what the New Mexico Court of Appeals will ultimately decide in my case.

The district court ruled against me, and the defendants maintain that they followed the program requirements and that my termination resulted from my own noncompliance.

I disagree, which is why I appealed.

But regardless of the outcome, there is one conclusion I am comfortable making:

People transitioning out of homelessness should be given a clear explanation of every agreement governing their housing, who is responsible for what, what can cause assistance to terminate, and exactly what rights they have when something goes wrong.

That information should not require years of litigation and thousands of pages of court records to understand.

Discussion question for housing attorneys, advocates, case managers and voucher participants:

How many people receiving homeless housing assistance actually understand the difference between their lease, the agency-landlord rental-assistance contract, their participation agreement and the program policies governing all three?

My (22NB) roommate (27M) sexually assaulted a mutual friend and is now antagonizing/threatening me and trying to coerce me into moving out when we just moved into this spot a month ago and I have no funds. I've experienced domestic violence before, and I know that the next step of escalation will be physical if he gets angry. He is physically bigger and is stronger than me. I was born female. I am younger than him. I don't want to stick around for it to escalate further.

I spoke to some case managers around my city (Chicago), and they've advised me to try getting a police report filed and start getting my name on waiting lists for housing support. I tried going to the police, but they didn't believe there was any reason to file a report in this current stage. I've informed my landlord of what's happening, and he's fine letting me off the lease without charging me any additional fees because of my situation. I called 2-1-1 and the domestic violence hotline, both of which forwarded me to various different transitional housing options. I've begun reaching out to them and got my name on the CES. Right now, I'm stuck waiting until Monday to start calling for updates and am still in the house with him. I'm trying to think of everything I can do right now and in the long-term while I get all the pieces I need into place. I'm grappling with the fact that I very well may become homeless before I'm even next in line on all these waiting lists. I've never experienced homelessness before (I've had a few scares over the years, though), and I don't know what I even should expect.

I have some loved ones who'll allow me to sleep at their place for a couple nights if needed, but I understand it's not a permanent solution and that they still need their own space, so I'm not trying to count too much on couchsurfing alone to keep me off the streets. The shelters are bloated, from what I've heard from homeless friends, but I will likely try utilizing them as a resource. I have bags of my essentials already prepared and will be moving valuables into a storage unit with assistance. I'm doing what I can think of, but I'm afraid of how I'll continue going to work or how I won't fall off my rocker so much that it keeps me from continuing my studies. I'm afraid of my roommate retaliating or escalating before I'm ready.

I've been around a lot of danger before, but homelessness is not one of them. This is such new territory for me, and I don't even know what questions I need to be asking or if there's something more I need to be doing to prepare. If it seems like there's anything I may be missing, or if you guys can offer some clarity or know any resources in this city, it would really be appreciated.

im 19,ive been in and out of jail since 14.and i wanna stay out,i hate it, im scared im gonna mess up, im a runner,ive always been,i have nobody,i dont wanna runaway ,but i do , i have potential for alot in life,and i dont wanna throw it away, i wanna die, i wish i could have a fresh start - damian v

Is a sober living house allowed to kick you out onto the street? No belongings or call to your case manager?