We Broke Ground on Peace Family Housing, and Austin Named the Day

By Lynne Williams, HomeAid Austin Executive Director

There is a particular kind of hope that lives in a patch of bare ground. On a warm June morning, neighbors gathered on the lawn at Peace Lutheran Church, golden shovels caught the light, and together we turned the first soil on the Peace Family Housing Project. It was more than a groundbreaking. It was a promise, made out loud, that families experiencing homelessness in Central Texas deserve a safe and dignified place to call home.

Then the morning grew even brighter. The City of Austin presented an official proclamation declaring June 9, 2026 as HomeAid Austin Day. As the proclamation was read aloud and its seal lifted for the crowd to see, you could feel what this work has always been about. Not one organization, but a whole community choosing to build together.

Collaborate. Care. Connect.

Peace Family Housing began with a simple belief, shared by a church that looked at its own campus and saw room for hope. From there, it became a true partnership. Peace Lutheran Church gave land and heart. Freccia Group and Lennar brought the craft of building. The Foundation for the Homeless will welcome and walk alongside the families who live here. And the City of Austin stood beside us at every turn.

This is how HomeAid Austin works. We bring the homebuilding community together with nonprofit and faith partners, we leverage donated labor and materials, and we deliver dignified housing at roughly half the standard cost. Then we hand the keys to a local service provider who supports residents on their path to independence. It is a model built on relationships, and Peace Family Housing is what those relationships can create.

Since our founding, that approach has carried us further than we ever imagined: 50 housing projects completed, nearly 100,000 individuals served, and more than $2.8 million in donated labor and materials. Behind every number is a family who found their footing, and a community that showed up.

In their words

“Watching the first shovels turn on Peace Family Housing was a moment of deep pride for all of us. This is what becomes possible when a church, a builder, a service provider, and a city decide to build together. Today we broke ground. Soon, families will come home.”

Lynne Williams, Executive Director, HomeAid Austin

“Our school districts have confirmed that the number of students experiencing homelessness is increasing. The Peace Family Housing Project provides not only a helping hand for families in need but a model for future housing collaborations between faith communities “and nonprofits.”

Council Member Krista Laine, District 6

“Peace Family Housing began with a simple belief that every family deserves a place to call home. Watching this vision become real, alongside so many partners who care, is a moment of deep hope for our congregation and our neighbors.”

Becky Reinhart, Peace Family Housing Committee, Peace Lutheran Church

“At Freccia, we believe construction can be a tool for transformation. Partnering with HomeAid Austin lets us build more than walls and roofs. We get to help build futures for families who need them most.”

Rebekah Severia, Freccia Group

Closer than we think, and so is home

The shovels were only the beginning. In the months ahead, this quiet corner of Northwest Austin will become a place where families find stability, dignity, and a fresh start. We are grateful to every partner, volunteer, and neighbor who showed up to make it real, and we cannot wait to welcome the first families through the door.

Homelessness can feel close to all of us. So can the chance to do something about it. You can be part of what comes next.

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