For over 60 years, Caritas of Austin has been THE leader in housing and supportive services for people experiencing homelessness in Austin. We offer clients the keys to well-being by making sure
people have:
- A safe home, either for themselves or with their family
- Access to healthy food
- Jobs that provide a reliable, living wage
- Educational opportunities to learn life skills
Due in part to a series of recessions, high housing costs, and a shortage of affordable housing, older adults are now the fastest-growing segment of America’s homeless population. Cairn Point Cameron, Caritas of Austin’s second supportive housing community, will give the 55+ population the keys to well-being. This campaign is designed to fund supportive services, hiring professional staff, and operating costs for the first 3 years.
Felicia’s Story
One of the somber realities of homelessness is that it can happen to anyone. For Felicia, an abusive home life and then abandonment led her to experience homelessness during middle school. Young and vulnerable, she searched for belonging and family everywhere and began using substances.
For two decades, she experienced intermittent homelessness and endured situations that no human should ever have to face. During that same period, she had three children, her pride and joy, all while living unhoused. Felicia connected with Caritas of Austin and in February 2024, moved into our first supportive housing development, Espero Rutland.
With the stable foundation of a home, Felicia has found the keys to well-being, cherishing time with her family, and finally able to plan for a bright future.
“I know I can’t make up for lost time, but I can love on my littles and keep them safe from what I experienced. That’s the thing about having housing, too. I can set and accomplish goals. Experiencing homelessness feels like purgatory, you’re just stuck, but now I can move forward.”
-Felicia
OUR APPROACH:
Caritas prioritizes providing permanent housing to people experiencing homelessness as the first and foundational step to rebuilding well-being.
We believe that a stable home is the platform from which people can pursue personal goals and reach their full potential. Each client is assigned a case manager who works with them to achieve stabilization and set goals.
There’s a simple reason why we’ve lasted over 60 years: we invest in people.
Our professional front-line staff complete a 6-month long training at Caritas’ Case Management Institute, learning current evidence-based practice in the fields of:
- Homelessness
- Strengths-based support
- Health (physical and mental)
- Trauma & substance use
About Cairn Point Cameron
To maintain the high levels of service, we will need 35 Total Staff at Cairn Point Cameron:
23 Direct Service Staff
(Case Managers, Peer Support, Managers, Education & Employment Specialists, etc.)
12 Operations Staff
(Security, Building Techs, Property Mgmt., etc.)
KEYS TO WELL-BEING CAMPAIGN BUDGET
Program Funds Needed Years 1-3
Board of Directors
Veronica Blacklock
Meta
Jed Buie, Vice-Chair,
Civic Engagement,
Buie & Co.
Dan Byrne
Fritz Byrne, PLLC
Vanessa Davila, Chair, Resource
Helping Hand Home for Children
Jeff Ervin
STG Design
Lori Freedman
Marsh MMA
Kristine Gutzman
Trube Land Development
Michele Guzmán, Co-Chair,
Board Governance
MRG Collaborative Consulting
Robert Hernandez, Co-Chair,
Finance & Monitoring
Austin Telco Federal Credit Union
Curtis Johnson, Jr.
Specialty Program Group
Aashish Kapadia
McDermott Will & Emery LLP
Barry Lovelace
Compass Setting, Ltd.
Carolyn Moore
ICDB, LLC
Shaun Moore, Board Chair,
Governance
AMD
Ben Sullivan, Vice-Chair, Finance & Monitoring
Palisades Hudson
Financial Group LLC
Emmy Goss Weisberg
Lady Emmy Enterprises
Chris Whitt, Secretary;
Co-Chair, Real Estate
Armbrust & Brown, PLLC
Mike Haggerty,
Board Member Emeritus
ThunderCloud Subs
Jo Kathryn Quinn, President/CEO
Caritas of Austin
Campaign Committee
A.J. Bingham
The Bingham Group
Jed Buie
Buie & Co.
Bobby Jenkins, Campaign Co-Chair
ABC Home & Commercial Services
Kerry Hall
Susser Bank
Fred Heldenfels, Campaign Co-Chair
Heldenfels Enterprises, Inc.
David Jabour
Twin Liquors
Ali Khataw
Encotech Engineering Consultants
Joe Lea
Law Office Of Joe Lea
Mark Metcalfe
Susser Bank
Ben Sullivan, Board Liaison
Palisades Hudson Financial
Group, LLC
Amy S. Villarreal
Sinclair
Troy West
Alibi Security
LEADERSHIP
Caritas of Austin Staff
The Caritas of Austin team is comprised of over
100 staff members from diverse educational, cultural, and professional backgrounds.
Leadership Team
Jo Kathryn Quinn, President and Chief Executive Officer
T.J. Owens, Chief Operations Officer
Lauren Portley, Chief Development Officer
Adelita Winchester, Chief Programs Officer
For more information, please contact Lauren Portley, Chief Development Officer at lportley@caritasofaustin.org.