Tarrant County Homeless Coalition

We’re thrilled to spotlight our incredible Executive Director, Lauren King, in her recent interview with DFWChild! Lauren’s passion and leadership drive our mission forward and help us achieve our vision of a vibrant community where everyone has a place to call home!

Read the full article:

Meet Lauren King, Executive Director at Tarrant County Homeless Coalition We chatted with Lauren King, Fort Worth mom of two and executive director at Tarrant County Homeless Coalition, on teaching her kids to care.

As temperatures soar, staying cool and safe is more important than ever, especially for people experiencing homelessness! Check out our community's resources including cooling stations and where to get water.

HOME Fort Worth is taking action to address the pressing issue of affordable housing in Fort Worth as the population continues to soar. We believe everyone deserves a safe and affordable place to call home, and we're committed to finding innovative solutions to make that a reality. Read more about HOME Fort Worth and their plans in Fort Worth Report

New group takes aim at affordable housing as Fort Worth’s population soars | Fort Worth Report Coalition of nonprofits, foundations and affordable housing developers join to support Neighborhood Conservation Plan and Affordable Housing.

Homelessness is a year-round issue, and we continually say that it can only be solved if we are all working together. The Homeless Coalition works with over 40 organizations all dedicated to meeting the needs of those experiencing homelessness. We encourage community members who want to give back to get involved with one of our partners.
https://ahomewithhope.org/coc-membership/

Come back tomorrow to hear from Lauren about how to get involved this summer!

People experiencing homelessness are diverse in age, personal relationships, life experiences, struggles, and skills. Year after year, the top two reasons people report they become homeless is a lack of income or the inability to pay rent.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance use, you can find community resources on our website: https://ahomewithhope.org/help/substance-abuse/
Mental health resources: https://ahomewithhope.org/help/mental-health/

We're back today to bust another myth! Over half of the people experiencing homelessness in our community have or are currently open to working. Even when individuals experiencing homelessness find jobs, they are often part-time or minimum wage positions that do not pay enough for them to afford fair market rent in our community.

Come back tomorrow for a video about employment and homelessness

Join us for an uncensored look at poverty! This unique, enlightening experience helps individuals begin to understand what life is like with a shortage of money and an abundance of stress. It moves people to think about the harsh realities of poverty and how communities can address the problem collectively.

Participants in the Poverty Simulation will experience life as a member of a low-income family trying to survive. Your task is to secure food, shelter, and other basic needs while interacting with various community resources. Confront the realities of poverty and hear other people’s experiences (HOPE) with us!

When: May 3, 2024 from 8:30am-12pm
Where: Resource Connection Gym (2300 Circle Dr, Fort Worth, TX 76119)
Register now: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/8g5ypn9

Don't forget to join us from 9-10am tomorrow at Texas Wesleyan University or live here on Facebook for our annual State of the Homeless Address!

We will present the current data on homelessness, provide updates on the community strategic plan, and share the progress our community is making to ensure everyone has a place to call home!

Check out Fort Worth Report’s profile on Executive Director, Lauren King.

Homeless coalition leader takes holistic approach to combat housing insecurity | Fort Worth Report Lauren King of the homeless coalition shares how she led the agency through COVID-19 and now the housing crisis in our latest Profile in Leadership.

Affordable housing is just that: affordable. Regardless of your income level, housing is considered affordable when a household spends less than 30% of their income on housing cost. Unfortunately for low-income families, spending more than 30% of their income is the norm, as rents rise and housing becomes out of reach. Nationwide, there is not a county in the United States where a person can work a minimum wage job and afford fair market rent.

Join Lauren tomorrow as she talks more about who needs affordable housing!

Today's myth is about the availability of safe, affordable, and accessible housing. The City of Fort Worth estimates that there is a lack of about 32,000 affordable housing units. Join us tomorrow as Lauren speaks more about affordable housing!

Our elected officials are heavily involved in the response to homelessness in our community. Tomorrow, 2/12, Fort Worth City Council is holding a special called meeting for a workshop on homeless issues. The meeting is open for the public to attend, for more information visit: https://www.fortworthtexas.gov/departments/citysecretary/events/2024-Special-Called-City-Council-Meeting

Check back in tomorrow to hear more about elected officials involvement in our system!

Our homeless services system housed more households than ever last year! There are still many people experiencing homelessness in our community, but The Homeless Coalition, along with our amazing partner agencies, work every day to get people housed and make sure everyone has a place to call home!

Data helps to guide decision making in homeless services, allowing our system of care to be responsive to emerging needs and foreseeable trends. By increasing analysis of key data points our community can understand resource utilization and potential emerging trends to better design programs and services that meet the most current need.

To learn more about why data is important to our community, tune in tomorrow with Lauren or check out our community dashboards at: https://ahomewithhope.org/knowthefacts/

There's still time to help us make sure by volunteering at the 2024 Point in Time Count! Your efforts will help us to understand what resources our community may need and identify community-wide strategies to end homelessness!

Sign up here: https://tarrantcountyhomelesscoalition.volunteerlocal.com/volunteer/?id=79838

People become homeless for a variety of reasons – everyone has walked a different path in life. Year after year, the top two reasons people give for experiencing homeless are a lack of income and the inability to pay rent. Rent has increased by 35% since 2018 and wages have not increased the same amount, making it difficult for people to afford housing. Come back tomorrow to hear from Lauren about the main causes of homelessness and who is experiencing homelessness in our community.

COLD WEATHER UPDATE:

Worth Heights Community Center is open 24/7 until Tuesday, 1/16.

True Worth place will be open as a warming center from 7am-3pm daily

Check here for updated resources:

Winter Weather Updates In the midst of the winter storm, take note of these schedule changes and safety warnings.

Extreme cold weather is expected throughout the weekend and early next week. Anyone living in an unsheltered environment, please stay in our overnight shelters for safety.

Text either "FWCOLD" or "ARLCOLD" to 877-799-4950 to receive text messages with overflow shelter updates.