Does Texas Help Homeless? Real Support, Gaps, and Where to Find Help

Every night in Texas, more than 27,000 people sleep without a roof over their heads. That’s not a guess-it’s the official count from the 2025 Point-in-Time survey by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Texas has the third-highest homeless population in the country, behind California and New York. But when people ask, Does Texas help homeless? the answer isn’t simple. There are shelters, programs, and nonprofits doing real work. But the system is stretched thin, uneven, and often hard to navigate.

What Texas Actually Offers

Texas doesn’t ignore homelessness. The state allocates over $150 million a year through the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) for emergency shelters, transitional housing, and rapid rehousing programs. Cities like Austin, Houston, and Dallas run their own coordinated entry systems-centralized portals where people can apply for housing assistance, case management, and mental health services.

Shelters exist in nearly every county. In Houston, the Coalition for the Homeless runs 12 emergency shelters with over 1,800 beds. In San Antonio, the Bexar County non-profit Project Homeless Connect offers one-stop services: showers, ID help, job applications, and medical screenings-all in a single day. These aren’t just places to sleep. Many offer case workers who help people get Social Security cards, apply for Medicaid, or connect with addiction treatment.

But here’s the catch: demand outpaces supply. In Austin, the waitlist for permanent supportive housing can be 18 months long. In El Paso, shelters turn people away when they hit capacity-even in freezing winter nights. Many shelters have strict rules: no pets, no couples together, no staying more than 30 days. For someone with a dog, a partner, or a mental health crisis, these rules make the system feel like a maze with dead ends.

Where the System Falls Short

Texas doesn’t have a statewide housing voucher program for the homeless. Unlike some states, it doesn’t use federal funds to guarantee housing first. Instead, it prioritizes temporary fixes. That means people cycle in and out of shelters without ever getting stable housing.

One big reason? Lack of affordable housing. Texas added over 1.2 million new residents between 2020 and 2025. Rent prices rose 42% in that time. In Dallas, a person needs to earn $24.50 an hour to afford a one-bedroom apartment. The minimum wage? $7.25. That gap is why 68% of homeless adults in Texas are working-just not enough to pay rent.

Mental health services are another weak spot. Texas has only 1.3 psychiatric beds per 1,000 people-half the national average. Many people end up in shelters because they can’t get treatment. Police often become the first responders for mental health crises, not social workers. In 2024, over 11,000 homeless individuals in Texas were arrested for low-level offenses like sleeping in public or panhandling-crimes tied directly to their lack of housing.

Who’s Filling the Gaps?

When state and city systems fall short, nonprofits and faith groups step in. Organizations like the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, and local churches run food pantries, laundry services, and mobile clinics. In Fort Worth, the nonprofit Hope for the Homeless runs a van that drives through neighborhoods every night, handing out socks, blankets, and bottled water.

Some groups are trying bold new ideas. In Austin, the nonprofit Community First! Village offers tiny homes on 51 acres, complete with shared kitchens, gardens, and on-site counselors. Residents pay $300 a month-what they can afford. Since 2015, it’s housed over 200 people. Nearly 80% stayed housed after two years. That’s a success rate most shelters can’t match.

But these are exceptions. Most programs are underfunded and rely on volunteers. A single nonprofit in Lubbock runs a shelter with just three full-time staff members and 50 rotating volunteers. When the lead case worker takes a sick day, the whole system slows down.

How to Get Help in Texas

If you or someone you know needs help in Texas, here’s what actually works:

1. Call 2-1-1-Texas’s free, 24/7 helpline. Dial 2-1-1 or visit 211texas.org. They connect you to shelters, food, transportation, and crisis counseling. No paperwork needed.
2. Visit a local United Way office. They know which programs have open beds and which ones are full.
3. Go to a public library. Many libraries in Texas have social workers on staff or can help you access Wi-Fi to apply for housing programs.
4. Ask for a case manager. Don’t just show up at a shelter. Ask if they have someone who can help you apply for Medicaid, SNAP, or housing vouchers.
5. Know your rights. You can’t be arrested for sleeping in your car in most Texas cities-if you’re not blocking traffic or trespassing. Some cities, like Austin, have ordinances protecting people from being moved from public spaces without access to shelter.

What’s Changing in 2025

Texas lawmakers passed a new bill in 2024 that redirects $75 million from the state’s general fund into permanent supportive housing. It’s the largest investment in housing-first programs the state has ever made. Cities like Houston and Austin are using it to build tiny home villages and convert underused motels into housing.

Some counties are testing housing vouchers with no time limits. In Harris County, 500 people received rent subsidies for up to two years. After 18 months, 83% were still housed. That’s a number that’s starting to change how officials think about homelessness-not as a temporary crisis, but as a solvable problem.

Still, progress is slow. Funding is uneven. Rural counties get almost nothing. In places like Amarillo or Laredo, there might be one shelter for the entire county-and it’s only open during daylight hours.

Is Texas Doing Enough?

Compared to states like Utah or Vermont-where homelessness has dropped by over 50% thanks to housing-first policies-Texas is behind. But it’s not doing nothing. There are pockets of real innovation. There are people working tirelessly to fix what’s broken.

The truth? Texas helps homeless people-but not enough, not evenly, and not fast enough. The shelters are there. The programs exist. But without more funding, more housing, and fewer rules that push people away, the system will keep failing the very people it’s meant to serve.

If you’re in Texas and you’re struggling, don’t wait for the system to fix itself. Call 2-1-1. Walk into a library. Ask for help. Someone will answer. And if you’re not homeless but want to help-volunteer at a shelter, donate blankets, or push your city council to fund housing. Real change starts with one person refusing to look away.