How We HeLP

For those camping, we have these things to share at our location 408 W 23d Street Basement, M-F 12-4pm:

• Hot food

• Cold drink

• Camping food bag (limit 1 every 3 days)

• Men's or women's Clothing set by size (XS, S, M, L, XL, 2X, 3X), fresh socks

• Men's or women' shoes by size

• Self-care hygiene and travel-sized toiletries

• First-aid kits

• Sleeping bag (after third visit, limit 1 every 12 months

• Back packs (after third visit, limit 1 every 4 months)

• Phone service financial support (after third visit, monthly, while funds last)

• Phone use

• Wifi

• 👓 Eyeglasses voucher for exam and glasses if you can self-refer to a vision provider

• Resource navigation cards (ID, sobriety, jobs, neighborhood resources, etc.)

• Mail and package pickup (addressed to you) at Street Youth Ministry, 408 W 23rd Street Basement, Austin TX 78705. Note that packages can only be delivered M-F 12-4. Unattended deliveries are not accepted.

• On-site guidance counseling outdoors by request.

How do I get it? Be 28 and under, homeless, living outside and present yourself M-F 12-3:30 at our drop-by so we can get to know you! Arrive no later than 3:30 so we have enough time to serve you! We are not typically able to serve those over 28 but can share a sandwich and water, if available. Clients who have leveled-up and completed their time with us are welcome to stop by to check-in but we may not be able to provide all services to you.

Important: Distribution takes place one at a time at our gate. We cannot serve anyone if there are more than one person is within the orange square (6 feet distance all around) at our gate and at our sidewalk steps. We cannot serve anyone if the sidewalks are blocked, steps to The Hideout are blocked or the area around our building, street and alleyway are littered.

For those camping, we have these things to share on outreach in East Austin or the NE Austin area on Mondays at 12:30pm:

• Meal box or sandwiches

• Bottled water

• Camping food bag (limit 1 every 3 days)

• Men's or women's clothing and Shoes (limited sizes on truck)

• Self-care hygiene and travel-size toiletries

• 👓 Eyeglasses voucher for exam and glasses if you can self-refer to a vision provider

• Resource navigation cards (ID, sobriety, jobs, neighborhood resources, etc.)

How do I get it? Text us at 512 553 3796 no later than 11am to find out where and when we will be out. Be 28 and under to receive food bag. Other listed resources are shared with all ages.

For those with legal housing on a lease as part of recovering from homelessness or enrolled in a program to end homelessness, we have these things to share:

• Full-size personal care and toiletry items

• Household cleaning items (3 items per month)

• Household starter items (as available)

• Food pantry bags (limit 1 set every 5 days)

• All camping resources listed above EXCEPT sleeping bags, camping bags

• Rent and utility support (monthly, requires active participation in groups)

• Access donated household items at this Facebook Group.

How do I get it? Be 28 and younger and have a lease with your name on it. Informal agreements and couch surfing are great but are not eligible for these services. Clients who have leveled-up and completed their time with us are welcome to stop by to check-in but we may not be able to provide all services to you.

For those willing to distance and wear masks, we have in-person groups at our Austin drop-by location in our conference room called The Hideout as follows:

• Peer Support: Monday and Wednesday 2pm

• Bible Study: Tuesday 2pm

• Women's Group: Wednesday 1pm

• Cooking Skills Class: Thursday 1pm

• Prayer Group: Thursday 2pm

The Hideout is new, so all first-time participants receive 2.5 hours of SYMinU credit for their first full visit. The address is 408 W 23rd Street Basement, Austin TX 78705. Ask at our corner gate the first time so we can show you how to access The Hideout.

Group participants are entered into a weekly raffle for 1.5 hours of SYMinU credit. One prize is awarded weekly per 10 participants. Bring more people, and more people win!

How do I get it? Be 28 and under and at our drop-by at the start time. Checkin at our corner gate down to the basement the first time so we can show you The Hideout entrance. Clients who have leveled-up and completed their time with us are welcome to drop-in but the host may limit your time in group.

More Group Info Here

We have theme week activities outside our Austin drop-by every other week to keep things fresh and fun. Participants are entered into a raffle fo a prize drawn at the end of the week for a prize:

• Identity Week (includes meditation, Hispanic cooking class, shirt painting, prayer rock painting)

• Goblins and Saint's Week (includes making Ofrendas (hispanic cuisine), costume materials (as available), painting a pumpkin, and honoring the saints in your life.

• Feast Week (includes Turkey Grab for housed clients, special meals all week.) We are closed Thanksgiving and the Friday after.

• Christmas Advent Weeks: We will have theme weeks each of the four weeks leading up to Christmas. Our last day of serving is Dec 20.

How do I get it? Be outside our drop-by M-F between 12:30pm and 3pm. Be 28 and younger to enter raffles and some of the activities. Some activities are open to all ages. We are not able to hold outdoor events if people refuse to mask or distance, or if sidewalks are blocked, or littered.

We have every other Game Night at a Taco trailer with great outdoor seating. Come play cards, Jenga, and just chat. It's Tuesday night 5:30-7:30pm. The address is 12th and Navasota

In between, we have Movie Night every other week in an outdoor theater. Come watch a move with us and hang out. It's Monday nights 6-8pm. The location is 12th and Chicon, just around the corner on Chicon.

Group participants are entered into a weekly raffle for 1.5 hours of SYMinU credit. One prize is awarded weekly per 10 participants. Bring more people, and more people win!

How do I get it? Be a client 28 and under. Clients who have leveled-up and completed their time with us are welcome to stop by to check-in but we may not be able to provide a plate for you.

For those in San Marcos, we have these things to share on Outreach on Tuesday and Fridays at 4:30pm, starting at the skatepark by the library and moving to Southside Community Center parking lot about 5:15pm.

• Meal box or sandwiches

• Bottled water

• Camping food bag (limit 1 every 3 days)

• Men's or women's clothing and shoes (limited sizes on truck)

• Self-care hygiene and travel-size toiletries

• 👓 Eyeglasses voucher for exam and glasses if you can self-refer to a vision provider

• Resource navigation cards (ID, sobriety, jobs, neighborhood resources, etc.

More San Marcos info here.

How do I get it? Meet is at one of the two locations listed above. Be 28 and under to receive food bag. Other listed resources are shared with all ages.

Call us to leave a message or be transferred if a guidance counselor is available. We return calls to clients as soon as possible. Text us. Facebook Messenger us. You can expect this:

• Advice on Austin resources

• Advice on San Marcos resources

• Advice on nation-wide resources

• Brief one-on-one guidance

• 👓 Eyeglasses voucher for exam and glasses if you can self-refer to a vision provider

How do I get it? You must be 28 or younger.

For those with access to internet, we have virtual groups for assistance and fun by joining on Zoom with or without an app, with video or just by phone number:

• Peer Support Group: Monday and Wednesday 2pm

• Bible Study: Tuesday 2pm

• Women's Support Group: Wednesday 1pm

• Talent Night: Wednesday 6pm

• Prayer Group: Thursday 2pm

Zoom Password: 8rpfM0

Group participants (28 and under) may claim a laundry pass good for laundry from time of award until end of month for attending at least two groups in the month.

Group participants (28 and under) are entered into a weekly raffle for 1.5 hours of SYMinU credit. One prize is awarded weekly per 10 participants. Bring more people, and more people win!

How do I get it? Participate by being 28 or under and joining our Zoom room at the start time. More Group Info Here. You join by phone or video. You don't have to install an app but you can. Clients who have leveled-up and completed their time with us are welcome to drop in but the host may limit your time in group.

SYMinU allows you to watch video and fill in quiz forms to earn points approximately equal to the average time it takes to learn the material. We have a large variety of subjects compiled by our volunteers. Each "hour" of points is equal to $8 in merchandse or shipping cost.

• You can get started by opening our app at syminu.glide.io. (It's not really an app but you can save it to your phone screen to reopen later)

• We have several "get to know" quizzes you can do for a quick start.

  • Get to know you part 1

  • Get to know SYMin

  • Covid vaccination info

• In addition, we have a digital vault service for clients. To encourage use, we award the following points for helping yourself. You can retrieve digital vault items by text, email or Facebook Messenger from anywhere after verifying your identity with us.

  • Copy of valid ID: 1 hour

  • Copy of birth certificate: 1 hour

  • Copy of vaccination card: 2.5 hours

  • Copy of voter registration card: 1 hour

• The app has links to all available quizzes. You can only get credit for a quiz only once.

• Credit is awarded as soon as we can, usually within a few days.

• Use our Digital Vault for SYMinU points and to keep a backup of important documents.

How do I get it? You must be 28 or younger to earn SYMinU points. We also have raffles weekly for bonus points and occasionally have other bonus opportunities. We provide ways to volunteer for points, like taking out our trash, cleaning up around our building, putting up flyers for us (with photos of locations) and more.

You can spend your points after you turn 29 but you cannot earn any more. Points are not transferrable. You can redeem points for something and prearrange for someone else to will receive the item.

Goodie Bags / Outside Austin

For those outside our service area of Austin and San Marcos, we are able to offer this service as a new pilot.

• Men's or women's clothing set by size

• Shoes by size

• Self-care hygiene and travel-size toiletries

• Redeemped SYMinU items

How do I get it? You must have sufficient SYMinU points to cover postage. We will mail only one small box. We cannot mail to a home. It must be a church, caseworker, or agency. We address them to you in care of your helper.