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Austin announces task force to address foster care–to–homelessness pipeline during National Foster Care Month
Summary
At a May 22 proclamation recognizing National Foster Care Month, the City of Austin highlighted local foster care statistics and the Homeless Strategy Office said it has launched a multi‑partner task force to develop recommendations to reduce the number of youth who age out of foster care into homelessness.
Council Member Ryan Alter proclaimed May 22, 2025, as Foster Care Day in Austin and used the event to highlight local foster‑care challenges and partnerships aimed at keeping young people housed and supported as they age out of the system.
The city presented statistics during the proclamation speech noting there are nearly 370,000 children in foster care nationwide, about 20,000 in Texas and nearly 1,200 in Austin. Council Member Alter pointed to research the proclamation cites showing “33 percent of those in the foster care system will experience homelessness by the age of 21.”
Courtney, founder of Change 1, told the council she spent a decade in foster care across multiple placements and described how her organization and partners help youth find immediate stability. “Change 1 helped this young lady meet her basic needs by keeping her phone connected … securing her transportation,” Courtney said, describing cases in which partner organizations helped a young person move from sleeping in a car into permanent supportive housing.
David Gray, director of the City of Austin Homeless Strategy Office, said the office has quietly launched a task force to study the foster‑care to homeless pipeline and to craft recommendations. “It’s our job to break this pipeline,” Gray said, describing the task force as composed of service providers, local, county and state representatives, and philanthropy. He said the group “continues to meet” and that recommendations will be brought to the city and the public in the coming weeks.
Speakers and several organizations at the event described coordination among Change 1, LifeWorks, Integral Care, My Sister’s Keeper ATX, Caritas and the Travis County Public Defender’s Office to connect young people to housing, documentation, mental‑health care and other supports.
The proclamation and remarks emphasized that outcomes for youth leaving foster care — including low college completion rates and elevated risk of homelessness and incarceration cited in the proclamation text — require cross‑sector responses. The event concluded with an invitation from speakers to a resource fair in the atrium where attendees could meet the providers who work with foster youth and learn ways to volunteer or donate.
The council did not take formal legislative action on the item; the Homeless Strategy Office described the task force as an ongoing study that will produce recommendations for future action.
