Hungry Hill Foundation helps East Austin homeless community with resources, programs

Hungry Hill Foundation helps East Austin homeless community

A gas station on Springdale and 12th Street is now the home base of Hungry Hill Foundation, a nonprofit that helps the East Austin homeless community.

AUSTIN, Texas - The streets on East Austin look a lot different than they did in the 1960s, including an old gas station on Springdale and 12th Street.

That gas station is now the home base of Hungry Hill Foundation, a nonprofit that helps the East Austin homeless community.

"We have a community kitchen, we have community closet, and then we have a workforce of opportunities," says executive director Chase Wright.

Wright has been incarcerated and homeless before. After he got out of jail, he saw the lack of resources that homeless people were given.

He says by having that background he is able to connect with those who are homeless and get them the right resources they need.

"A lot of them helped raise me while I was out in the streets and doing what I was doing. I spent a little time in jail. I was incarcerated. Post incarceration is when I noticed that you know what? I need an opportunity to give back to my community," says Wright.

That he did, by starting Hungry Hill Foundation in 2022. People who are homeless can get a hot meal, clothes, personal toiletries and even take a shower.

"I believe that if you can offer individual opportunity to go to work, they can work their way out of homeless," says Wright.

Wright noticed those who are homeless struggle to transition back into society. Through the program individuals can earn money by washing cars at the gas station.

"A lot of the individuals have barriers where they have vouchers or they receive government assistance to get housing, but they don't have a job to maintain the finances that it takes to keep your house and being self-sufficient," says Wright.

Hungry Hill offers programs to the homeless community to teach them about workforce development and have opportunities to move into transitional housing.

"What we would do, we give them $10 an hour, they graduate, they make $15 an hour, they learn how to work shifts. They start keeping tracks with pay stubs, and they take it back to the housing opportunity. So, at that rate, you have adult citizens, neighbors who are self-sufficient and they don't need too much help," says Wright.

The non-profit relies heavily on donations, right now the community closet is low on men's clothes, if you would like to drop off clothes you can at 1189 Springdale Road in Austin.

Interested in helping? You can email them here.