SAN ANTONIO — Nonprofits and city leaders came together Monday morning to recognize Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week and break down their strategic plan for 2025.
“This week reminds us that many of our neighbors are often forced to choose between basic necessities such as buying food or pay rent. Many households across the nation are just one paycheck away from financial disaster and homelessness,” Mayor Ron Nirenberg said.
While homelessness is up in San Antonio, the city and a coalition of nonprofit partners say there have been pockets of tremendous progress over the last several years. But there’s still a lot of work to be done for years to come.
The 2024 point-in-time count revealed a 7% rise in homelessness compared to last year, which accounts for sheltered and unsheltered individuals.
Representatives from numerous organizations spoke on strategic priorities for next year. Terri Behling, communications director for Haven for Hope, spoke on the need for more affordable housing options, including permanent supportive houses for those needing on-site wraparound services.
“We need to find ways to expand those options and get people housed in a quicker fashion. We also need to improve our relationships with property owners to help find some housing placements for our clients,” Behling said.
The plan also demands enhancing services for youth, which SAMMinistries has achieved through the Youth Adult Stability and Support (YASS) Center, which has assisted around 500 people.
But there’ve been challenges.
“Despite our efforts, we’ve celebrated the lives of 10 children and young adults last December who passed away while experiencing homelessness. More can be done and more must be done to protect these children,” said Nikisha Baker, SAMMinistries president and CEO.
Expanding community outreach efforts is another prominent goal come 2025.
One year ago, Close to Home lost a beloved and impactful member of the organization.
Close to Home has launched the Billy Bundles campaign in honor of Billy Mahone III, remembered by many as a man who showed immense compassion when working with the homeless community.
People are encouraged to create care packages that include food, water and other essentials such as information on how to connect with important resources. As Close to Home executive director Katie Wilson said, it’s about humanizing homelessness.
“You can connect directly with people and help them connect to resources along with providing some immediate snacks and things like that. People need that dignity and to feel seen to take that next step."
To learn more about Billy Bundles, go here.