The Wilco Homeless Coalition and the Volunteer Center are partnering to host the Williamson County Homelessness Awareness Event, Volunteer & Resource Fair on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023, at the J.B. & Hallie Jester County Annex at 1801 E. Old Settlers Blvd., Round Rock from 4 to 8 p.m.
The Coalition was created in 2019 by volunteers Ebby Green, president, and Jose Lopez, secretary, as they and organizations like Bluebonnet Trails, a mental health care facility for adults, adolescents and children with serious mental illness and other emotional disorders, began to notice that housing was increasingly in short supply in the county.
The Coalition is a collaboration of members and stakeholders in Wilco and is affiliated with the Texas Homeless Network (https://www.thn.org/) as part of its Continuum of Care, which is a collaborative approach to planning and funding for services related to homelessness.
The Coalition works closely with the Round Rock Area Serving Center and the Volunteer Center, co-hosting the event. Service providers from various organizations will help community members who attend gain a greater understanding of this issue and learn how they can volunteer. Homelessness is a situation that with some resources most folks transition out of relatively quickly.
There will be a screening of “Lead Me Home,” a documentary about homelessness in America, followed by a Question & Answer period from 6 to 8 p.m. The movie is rated PG-13. Complimentary snacks will be provided during the movie.
Using the Round Rock Independent School District’s definition of homelessness, 1,000 students are experiencing homelessness that includes living in a car, or with a friend or relative, or in some other community shelter.
Williamson County Commissioner Terry Cook, who is sponsoring the event in the Jester Annex in Precinct 1, said, “I am supporting the Wilco Homeless Coalition and all groups working to end homelessness because after all, it is a growing challenge for individuals and families with children to find housing with our increasing rental rates and lack of affordable housing for those with lower incomes. Our shared goal is to have affordable, safe housing.”