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How to Get Involved
How to become a member of the Ending Community Homelessness (ECHO) Coalition
Membership to ECHO is open to all.
Please submit an application form to Gilja Koo at gilja.koo@ci.austin.tx.us or fax to (512) 972-5025. (a file is attached)
Click here for the ECHO by-laws.
CTOSH Listserv
The CTOSH Listserv has become the main method of communication for the Homeless Task Force, the local planning group for homeless services.
"CTOSH" stands for Collaboration Technologies for Organizations Serving the Homeless. CTOSH is a research project headed by Laurie Lewis and Craig Scott of the U.T. Dept. of Communication Studies.
One collaboration tool that has worked well so far is the "CTOSH Listserv." This tool is used to post announcements, questions, ideas, invitations, etc. Everyone who is subscribed to the listserv will receive items via e-mail from other subscribers. The list currently has approximately 120 subscribers.
Anyone can subscribe to the listserv. Here are the instructions.
TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE CTOSH LISTERV
TO POST A MESSAGE
To post a message to the listserv, just address your e-mail message to CTOSH@lists.cc.utexas.edu
Ways to Help End Homelessness
Learn about some of the agencies that provide homeless services.
— Call the United Way ’s helpline at 2-1-1 or visit their website at www.unitedwaycapitalarea.org/gethelp/index.cfm
Click here for Volunteer Opportunities at Agencies that help (at risk) homeless persons in our community.
- Volunteer to work with people experiencing homelessness.
- Serve food at a shelter or community kitchen
- Participate in job training or tutoring by offering your skills such as carpentry, legal assistance, or science
- Demonstrate and/or teach about your hobby such as music, hairstyling, or cooking
- Sort donations such as clothing, toiletries, or toys
- Assist agencies with clerical or administrative tasks
- Donate shoes, socks, underwear, food, toiletries, toys, books, blankets, or phone cards.
- Get to know a person living in a homeless situation. Invite him or her to speak at your faith community or civic club meeting. Provide support to help that person exit homelessness.
- Employ a homeless person. Provide a job that pays a living wage and includes benefits. www/universallivingwage.org
- Volunteer with the “representative payee” program. Staff and volunteers work with chronically homeless persons to receive and manage benefits for which they are eligible, like Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Contact Family Eldercare, (512) 450-0844.
- Write a letter to the editor of a local newspaper expressing your concern about people experiencing homelessness and your support for policies and programs that work to end homelessness.
- Educate political leaders about the realities of homelessness and encourage them to support legislation that helps persons to avoid homelessness or to exit homelessness.
- Host an event to raise awareness about homelessness and to raise funds. Donate the funds to an organization that provides homeless services.
- Buy an edition of the Austin Advocate newspaper and/or get involved with its development. The newspaper raises awareness about homelessness, publishes articles, photos, artwork, and poetry by persons experiencing homelessness, and offers employment opportunities for vendors and writers. (512) 305-4122.
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