Austin has put cold weather shelters in place DOWNTOWN, they are operating at reduced capacity,
our local North Austin cold weather shelter IS NOT be operating this year.
(Good ole, Covid-19.)

SNOW STORM 2021: We are purchasing hotel nights with checkout on SATURDAY, FEB 21 for our homeless friends.

All funds donated to this campaign will be used for hotels, food and hygiene. Funds in excess after all expenses are paid wil be used to further Maximizing Hope's mission in the coming months helping out homeless neighbors.

UPDATE 2/16/2021 @ 1pm

The hotels from Waco to Schertz are booked and we still have homeless friends on the streets.

Monday, one of our hotels was unable to keep our homeless friends housed because they lost power and had frozen pipes. All of those folks were given the opportunity to get a ride to the city shelter. Only 3 of 44 went. This displaced 41 people. We are scrambling to get them sheltered.

All hotel rooms that we currently have booked will be extended to Saturday check out. The funds for this will double our expense budget. We simply cannot have our folks in single digit temps day and night.

The outpouring of help, love and community is amazing. Thank you for helping. Please spread our fundraising page and like us on all social media platforms. Want to get involved after the snow? We'd love to have you.

Updated: 2/14 10pm

Y’all — Over 100 rooms filled at 4 area hotels! Paid for by gracious hearts. Tomorrow will be another brutal day. Keep giving, we will keep filling rooms with the folks who can’t get to the City’s resources.

Facebook post 2/14:

We're completely humbled. Y'all are amazing.

Let's keep going... Maximizing Hope will buy hotels rooms until we run out of money or run out of homeless folks to sleep in them.

Tonight we have 40 homeless friends in warm, hotel rooms. They have been given bags of food for their fridges, a hot meal, and hygiene kits. The pups even have bones.

Y'all... The relief, the tears, the hugs, the gratefulness, its incredible... I get to see all of it but YOU are making it happen. 'Thank you' seems so lame, its just not enough.

SUNDAY we will spread the love (bc its Valentines Day, right) and work to get two more hotels online. Hopefully 100 people housed by tomorrow night.

HERE'S THE PROCESS for getting a homeless person in a hotel with Maximizing Hope. We've had plenty of folks ask and met you guys in camps trying to get folks into rooms. (Have we mentioned how amazing this community is?)We book primarily DOUBLE rooms, so please make sure two people minimum will be in a room, no more than 4. Limited singles will be reserved for women only.

After 1pm 2/14/2021 you can TEXT 512-810-3355 with the following info:(1) Number of people in the room(2) Names of people in the room(3) Your name(4) Their camp's cross streets

We will text back with the hotel to bring them to and the check in time. It might take time to get you a reply, depends on demand, we are all just humans.

Most of these folks will need transportation and that's where you lovely humans will need to really step up. You can UBER them, provide bus fare, or drive them yourselves. Its up to you... Please do not put yourself in harms way.Please keep yourself COVID safe. Please bring a mask for them and wear your mask.

OUR NEEDS: - Complete Hygiene kits - tooth brushes, tooth paste, deodorant, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, razors, mask packed in a ziplock

- Disposable Masks

- Meal Prep &/or Delivery thru Wed (we're totally happy if you want to arrange to have dinners delivered)

- Funding - every single dollar counts

SPECIAL THANKS TODAY:

- Better Together for the groceries for every room!

- Chip Coy for everyone's home cooked dinner of red beans & rice and sausage.

- Leah Hargrave with Mosaic Church Austin, Kristen Harris with @Better Together, @Linda Jackson -- you ladies ROCK, what an awesome way to spend Galentine's Day.

Facebook post 2/13:

Hello AMAZING friends!Yesterday Maximizing Hope & Better Together housed 15 of our homeless friends.

We also provided food and hygiene bags to get them thru a few days. Maximizing Hope plans to scoop up as many of our homeless friends each day as your funding allows.

Please continue to give.We have about 40 more clients who would benefit from a hotel room during this time -- and, more homeless than we can count who would gladly take a room.

Guys, this IS a LIFE OR DEATH situation. We are NOT being alarmists, the temps are not life-sustaining if you are a homeless camper in Austin. The fact is some of our homeless friends will NOT survive this cold snap.

Our negotiated hotel hate is $280 (double room) for 5 nights. That takes everyone through Thursday when the temps will get back to "normal" winter temps.

Food bags are about averaging about $20 per person.If you want to help by cooking or delivering meals or putting together food bags, please contact Better Together (link above).

We are planning to have a hot meal delivered each day to the hotel and then also to any campers we know are in the camps. Tonight's hot meal of beans, rice and sausage is taken care of.

What could we use?- funding (give below or thru Venmo @Tonya-Coy --0414 are the last 4 of the cell phone number)- cooking Sunday, Monday, Tuesday (contact Better Together)

Y'all are AMAZING!

Thank you doesn't come close to the gratitude.

All my love to each of you,

Tonya

LOL -- who knew this pic would come true in Austin, Texas!!!

Original Campaign Post below, Oct 2020:

And, even though chances of Austin looking like this picture are slim, it will probably feel that cold without a tent or a warm sleeping bag. We'd rather be well prepared than not this year, especially with limited indoor options for our friends during the coldest of nights.

Tents (50) - We have several people without tents currently and as the weather gets colder we will see many more asking.
(FYI - Tents in Texas summers tend to have extra holes made for ventilation. While that helps when its 103, 30 degrees and breezy is no one's idea of comfortable.)

Tarps (125) - Typically fastened around tents to block the wind and any moisture.

Sleeping Bags (50) - Not used much of the year but are very popular from Dec-Mar.

Beanies (150), Gloves (300) and Socks (300)- We purchase inexpensive gloves that we tell people can be thrown away because they get so dirty in the camps.
Socks and beanies are needed by everyone during the winter.

Hand Warmers (oh, so many of these) - Multiples are used by each person daily.

Your gift to our Providing Warmth Fund will ensure that we are able provide warmth to the camps we visit during the coldest days.

Maximize Hope - Provide Warmth

HOTELS THRU 2/20 for HOMELESS + food + gear

Team Members