Dear Friends,

The beginning of the year at Austin Street has been a challenge to say the least, but our team has kept their spirits up in order to best serve our clients.

In January and February, we spent 22 days operating inclement weather shelters in Dallas to keep the unsheltered in our community safe from dangerous winter weather. With help from local partners such as the City of Dallas’ Office of Homeless Solutions, OurCalling, North Texas Behavioral Health Authority, and so many other organizations and volunteers; we were able to provide shelter, meals, showers, and more to over 4,000 individuals - double the number of individuals served in 2024.

This would not be possible without support from our community and we are grateful for those who dropped off blankets, volunteered to bring snacks and water, or shared our social posts that brought awareness to the urgent needs at our shelters.  

For now, it seems like freezing temperatures are in the rearview mirror and we have quickly shifted gears, looking ahead to what the spring and summer has in store. We hope you will take an opportunity to sign up and volunteer, attend our 10^th annual No Place Like Home event to help us raise funds for the shelter, or donate gently used items to our clients as you spring clean your closets.

If you’ve been looking for ways to help the poor, hungry, or less fortunate there is no better time than now – join us in transforming lives and restoring hope to the homeless today!

10th Annual No Place Like Home

Party for a purpose at our annual spring event on Thursday, May 8 to help raise funds for Austin Street so we can continue to help break the cycle of homelessness for our unsheltered clients.

Guests will enjoy an evening of special bites & sips, live entertainment, and a silent auction featuring unique experiences – all supporting our mission to provide safe shelter and basic needs for the homeless.

No Place Like Home tickets and sponsorships are now available, purchase yours here!

Prior to arriving at Austin Street Center, Miashia was a truck driver and had lived in an 18-wheeler since 1998. She shared that this was common for those in the business and her life was great.

But then the unexpected happened - Miashia lost her job and had no income, family, or support; so she purchased a bus ticket to Dallas in search of work. After her arrival, she found employment and was earning a decent wage but still couldn’t afford an apartment and had to stay at a hotel.

Eventually, Miashia ran out of money and went to live on the DART train for two months. That’s when she learned about Austin Street through word of mouth and arrived at our shelter in the winter of 2023. In sharing her story she expressed gratitude for the existence of Austin Street and stated "The willingness of others to support and help has been great – there are outstanding services that are offered here.”

When discussing the future, Miashia’s wish is to re-enter the trucking business and purchase her own 18-wheeler, and our team is excited to help her reach this goal!



Candace is Austin Street's bubbly In-Kind Donations Coordinator and has been here for more than 10 years! She is the friendly face that oversees our donation room and greets those who drop off physical donations at our shelter.

Although Candace has been employed for a decade, her relationship with Austin Street began even further back when she was a client at our shelter.

She moved to Dallas from Philadelphia in search of a new chapter and was referred to Austin Street upon arriving to North Texas. She shared that the shelter was overwhelming at first, but she became acclimated and started volunteering in the clothing room. After eight months as a client, the In-Kind Donations Coordinator position became vacant, and she was offered the role due to her volunteerism in the donation room.

Over the past 10 years in the position, Candace has accomplished so much! She implemented donation guidelines, played an important part in bringing client laundry services to the shelter, has built long-standing relationships with donation room volunteers, created the Austin Street Angels program, and provides clients with encouragement. 

Austin Street Angels

This program was created to build a network of donors to rely on in times of urgent need at Austin Street. For example, our shelter was critically low on water for clients one summer and Candace notified the Austin Street Angels group which led to a pallet of water being delivered to our shelter shortly thereafter thanks to a fellow Angel.

Candace takes great pride in having cultivated this network and her goal is to expand the group to 100 compassionate individuals. If you’re interested in learning more or becoming part of our Austin Street Angels group, please email contact@austinstreet.org to sign up!