Meet The Real Faces of Austin's Homeless

Austin, Texas - According to the City of Austin's City Auditors report released in February 2019 Stephanie Hadyen, Austin's Director of Public Health and Natasha Ponczek, Homeless Services Program Coordinator for Austin's Public Health, tampered with Austin City Council approved contracts with Non-Profit Homeless Services that benefited Ann Howard of Ending Community Homelessness Coalition and Mitchell Gibbs, Greg McCormack, and Trey Nichols of Front Steps (contractor for the City's Homeless Shelter) without City Council Approval. It is the many 'Slide of Hand' actions like these that eventually festered into the Humanitarian Crisis that has evoked the State of Texas to have to step in to intervene. As demonstrated by recent public out cry, an extravagant amount of money has been dumped into Austin's Homeless Services over the years but with-out proper oversight and fiscal responsibility.

David Evans, long time CEO of Integral Care and Darilynn Cardona-Beiler Director of Adult Behavioral Health Systems with Integral Care are two who are responsible for the lack of adequate mental health outreach in Austin's community. Despite the amount of money dumped into Integral Care's coffers over the years and the brick and mortar investments, according to Mental Health America of Alexandria, VA. with Integral Care as the Mental Health Authority, Texas remains 51st in the nation with regards to access to care.

It is important for Austin's community, who is suffering on many levels, to be able to identify with the individuals and organizations who have received collectively millions of dollars over the years, yet the advancement of Austin's Homeless goals have not been met. It is of question: "If the goals of homelessness and mental health have not been met in Austin's community, then what has become of the funding that these agencies received to care for our communities most vulnerable??" Aside from the City of Austin and it's contracted homeless services providers, when a third party like the State of Texas must step in to clean up the mess, it further drives home the question of "WHERE DID THE MONEY GO??" These individuals could answer that question, though they probably won't. After all, it is the 'Slide of Hand'.