About SANSA

 

  • We are a grassroots organization dedicated to protecting the safety, health and quality of life in our South Austin community. Our diverse nonprofit group includes parents and single people; professionals, small-business owners and retirees; and homeowners and renters—including formerly homeless people. We all share the belief that Austin can serve our homeless neighbors compassionately, while making smarter decisions about where and how it provides and manages those services.

  • Through neighborhood outreach, education, and engagement with key stakeholders, SANSA works to ensure that the needs and interests of our community’s working-class families, students, small-business owners and others are taken into consideration when making planning decisions regarding homeless services and public safety. Our goal is to keep our communities walkable, safe and friendly for everyone.

  • In short—you do! We’re supported by modest donations from people who live and do business near the new homeless navigation center site. We are all-volunteer, spend carefully, and are not beholden to any political organization, party, or candidate. All donations go toward our goal of making our South Austin community safer, more walkable, and more vibrant.

  • Not at all!

    In our proverbial backyard, we already host a number of facilities supporting homeless individuals, housing and nutrition insecure families, and formerly homeless folks.

    We are one of the most economically diverse communities in Austin, and we’re proud of our long history of banding together to support our most vulnerable neighbors.

    So. We believe that community support for housing-insecure or homeless Austinites is absolutely necessary. And we believe that everyone in those circumstances deserves to be treated with respect and dignity.

    But we also believe that day services, drop-in services, and any other services that encourage congregation, loitering, and camping should not be located in close proximity to schools, parks or anybody’s backyard—or in communities like ours that are already hosting shelters and services.

    In short, our neighborhood cannot handle the added burden of a largely unregulated center providing drop-in services for high-risk clients. And it should not be expected to.

    And so, all we are asking for is a set of reasonable guardrails around any new facilities…whether in our area, or anywhere in the city.