The Other Ones Foundation

The Other Ones Foundation provides extremely low barrier employment, case management, and humanitarian aid to people experiencing homelessness in Austin, TX.

We’re all about the marginalized. The vulnerable. Those “Other Ones” out there living on the fringes. We believe in the extraordinary value of every human life, and that everyone deserves to be fulfilled.

OUR STORY

The Other Ones Foundation was born out of a multi-agency work group trying to find innovative solutions to Austin’s Downtown Homeless crisis. Knowing that income is vital to finding housing stability, we wanted to offer folks the opportunity to earn an income during the day while the shelters weren’t operating. This led us to seek out employment opportunities for our homeless neighbors, and gave way to our Workforce First Program.

WORK FORCE FIRST

Workforce First offers folks (who might otherwise be panhandling) the opportunity to get a days work. The dignity and empowerment of work, and the income it brings, serves as a major stepping stone to getting our homeless friends on the path to a more fulfilling life.

We have already enjoyed a great deal of success so far: WFF has paid out over $390,000 in earned income to individuals experiencing homelessness and poverty, and 71 of our clients have moved into stable housing!

MOBILE HYGIENE CLINIC

When COVID-19 hit in early 2020, we rolled out our second major program, the Mobile Hygiene Clinic (affectionately named the “Box of Rain”). What started as one shower trailer going around town delivering showers, toiletries, and lunches, has now grown to 10 permanent locations all over Austin.

So far, we have provided 10,000 showers and over 12,000 lunches from our Mobile Hygiene Clinic locations!

ESPERANZA COMMUNITY

Our most recent endeavor is to step up as stewards, in partnership with a resident-elected Leadership Committee, of Esperanza Community.

Esperanza Community is located at a State-sanctioned homeless encampment in Austin, TX that is currently occupied by ~150 people.

TOOF is offering our services to the residents, including hygiene facility access, employment opportunity, and case management. We are also functioning as service coordinators for the camp by partnering with other local service providers in the city of Austin. Finally, we are partnering with the residents of the camp and their self appointed leadership committee to build a solution focused community at Camp Esperanza.

FIERCELY FOCUSED

LEADERSHIP

Chris Baker

Executive Director

Chris is on a mission to make the world better for people affected by homelessness and poverty. Since graduating from the State University of New York at Oneonta in 2007, Chris has worked many different jobs in the field of homeless services and activism, but also as a musician, writer, and even paralegal. He started The Other Ones Foundation in the summer of 2017 to bring his innovative ideas for addressing homelessness to life.

Phil Leal

Director of Mobile Services and Outreach

Phil, LCSW, graduated from Texas State University with a Master’s in Social Work. Phil is a native Austinite with years dedicated to social services in Austin and also a founding member of The Other Ones Foundation. Throughout his Social Work career, Phil has served populations in a hospital setting, hospice, within the Money Management Program with Family Eldercare, and served some of the most vulnerable of Austin’s homeless population with the Homelessness Outreach Street Team (HOST).

Jared Slack

Director of Development

Jared Slack comes to The Other Ones Foundation after 17 years of service in the local church. Jared brings with him a gift for effective communication and a passion for offering others the opportunity to participate in the vision and mission of The Other Ones Foundation.

Jazzlyn Derrick

Deputy Director of Mobile Services and Outreach

Jazzlynn is a lifelong community builder who’s passionate about issues of health equity and has worked on diverse equity issues from reproductive health to insurance access. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin, she is excited to bring her passion and skills to TOOF as the Deputy Director of Mobile Services and Outreach. Jazzlynn will be overseeing overall strategy, program implementation, and evaluation of mobile services and outreach and looks forward to being a part of TOOF’s community building efforts.

Joe Westphal

Program Manager, Workforce First

Joe is a passionate and dedicated leader to our neighbors experiencing homelessness. After leaving a career in public safety, Joe has turned his efforts to fighting homelessness in Austin and advocating for the people he serves.

Max Moscoe

Community Engagement Coordinator

Max has honed his communication and media knowledge in the music industry of Austin, and is excited about bringing those skills to the table at TOOF. Max has always had a heart for service, volunteering from a young age and always working to help his community when possible. He is enjoying the ride of finding his role in the world of social service at The Other Ones Foundation.

The Other Ones Foundation is a trusted Give Austin partner and a verified 501(c)(3) charitable organization

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