After years in foster care, 23-year-old Bri Belcher was struggling. She had managed to find an apartment after she aged out of the system but wasn't able to keep up with bills. She got behind on rent and was evicted; overwhelmed and living on the street.
"It was a very challenging time in my life," she said. "I was scared. I was nervous. I was angry. I was confused."
Then in 2024, she got connected to the Targeted Housing Assistance Program through the Austin nonprofit LifeWorks.
Belcher is one of nearly three dozen Austinites who avoided homelessness in the yearlong cash-assistance pilot program — one that advocates say could be a model for nonprofits amid cuts to homeless services in Austin.
LifeWorks’ program helped Belcher pay off some debt, save up some money and get a new apartment. She learned to be her own safety net, she said.
"I got to a spot where I was like, OK, I'm grateful for that help, now how can I help myself?" she said. "I've been blessed to be in a position to where I have another chance.”
Lifeworks CEO Liz Schoenfeld said the program is a cheap, effective way to keep people off the street by making sure they have the tools they need to stay housed and stable. That’s especially important amid cuts to homeless services at City Hall.
"All service providers are being called upon... to try new models and new interventions where we could potentially get further, faster with less money," Schoenfeld said. "And this is one example of how we, in our community, are trying to innovate and push the envelope and trust individuals."
Voters recently rejected a city-backed plan to spend more money on services to get people into housing last month, prompting the Austin City Council to tighten budgets across the board.
On top of that, the population of homeless youth in Austin has quadrupled in the last five years, which led to LifeWorks partnering with Point Source Youth, a national nonprofit, on the pilot program.
Point Service CEO Larry Cohen said the nonprofit has had similar successes with homeless youth in cities like Tucson, Seattle and Los Angeles. Cohen said the programs cost far less and can be more effective than traditionally funded programs like shelters that tackle homelessness after the fact.
"We know that shelters and the homeless experience cost tens of thousands of dollars. So like, why not spend three [thousand] to save 30 [thousand] you know?" he said. "It's a logic that appeals, I would say, to everybody."
Looking back on the program, Belcher said it was a challenge, but, she joked, "life going to be difficult with or without help."
She said the support through LifeWorks not only helped her get stable housing, it also helped her secure a job with the Texas Network of Youth Services. Belcher hopes other people with similar lived experiences take advantage of these kinds of programs if they have the opportunity.
"I'm still young. I still have things to learn. Life is still life," she said. "So, yeah, it's definitely been a challenge, but I wouldn't change anything at all."
