Ending Community Homelessness Coalition

The Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) is a collaborative funding and planning nonprofit that is fiercely committed to ending homelessness in Austin, TX.
I volunteered with them several Januarys in a row now, helping them take census of how many members of our community are experiencing homelessness. Since resources are only doled out to communities as they can prove need, this is VERY IMPORTANT to get the funding needed to help people in vulnerable situations.
I also find every year, it helps me reshape my thinking about underserved populations. As a public health professional, it is valuable experience, marching through the ice, looking for people sleeping in the below freezing temps, discovering them, and finding out the circumstances that brought them there. I’ve even heard why they prefer to sleep in the ice than a shelter. It is a humbling experience that I would recommend to anyone– and an opportunity to really make a difference in your community in a matter of hours! If there are not enough volunteers, swathes of the city are not counted, people are ignored.