Homelessness Awareness Month: Ways You Can Help When Homelessness Is Closer Than You Think

By Lynne Williams, HomeAid Austin Executive Director

During the Thanksgiving season, we’re reminded to reflect on what we’re grateful for—family, home, warmth, and belonging. But for thousands of individuals and families in our own community, these things aren’t guaranteed. Homelessness isn’t just a crisis affecting strangers we pass on the street. It’s something that may be touching someone you know: a coworker quietly sleeping in their car, a student in your child’s classroom living in a motel, or a neighbor one paycheck away from losing their home.

 The good news is that help doesn’t always start with grand gestures—it starts with awareness and compassion. If you suspect someone you know is struggling with housing insecurity, the most powerful first step is to see them without judgment and listen without assumptions. Offer dignity through simple acts of kindness: a meal, access to a shower or laundry, helping them navigate resources, or simply letting them know they aren’t alone. Sometimes, the smallest acts of care can be the most life-changing.

 As we gather around our Thanksgiving tables, this is also a season to take action together. You can help by supporting local organizations that serve families experiencing homelessness, volunteering your time, donating warm clothing or pantry items, or advocating for affordable housing and supportive services in your community. If you’re unsure where to start, reach out to trusted nonprofit partners who can guide you—because helping doesn’t require having all the answers, just a willing heart.

 This Thanksgiving, let gratitude move beyond our tables and into our neighborhoods. Homelessness is closer than we think—but so is hope. And when we choose compassion, generosity, and action, we can be the reason someone feels seen, supported, and one step closer to home.