Antony Jackson, right, hugs a woman after singing happy birthday to her during an outreach event held by We Can Now outside Terrazas Library in East Austin. LORIANNE WILLETT/ KUT NEWS
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For people experiencing homelessness in North Austin, accessing food, shelter or a shower can mean taking the bus to downtown or South Austin. A new navigation center is set to open this summer near the intersection of North Lamar Boulevard and Rundberg Lane. It aims to bring those services to the city’s north side.

The project is led by local nonprofit We Can Now. Antony Jackson, the organization’s CEO, still can’t believe this was possible.

“It’s a true testament to the power of God, if you ask me,” Jackson said. “To be able to get a piece of real estate in the city that you grew up in and were homeless in, and be able to provide services to people in that same circumstance. Like, what?”

Jackson started We Can Now after spending much of his youth in and out of shelters and living in his car.

“In my life I’ve experienced many experiences of homelessness, and I was always like, once I got out of this circumstance, I want to do something for people who are in this circumstance in the city,” Jackson said. “Because when I went through it, there [weren’t] any resources or organizations like this that existed.”

In South Austin, the Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center offers resources like meals, clothing and healthcare services. Several groups offer similar services in downtown. Jackson said We Can Now’s center will serve a long unmet need for people in North Austin.

“While we were doing street outreach and building relationships with the people that we serve that are homeless and out there on the streets, we would ask them, ‘Who else comes out here? Where else do you get resources from?'” he said.

He learned that many people experiencing homelessness in the area have to ride a bus to access services downtown.

“[Traveling downtown] is already an added barrier to homelessness,” Jackson said. “You have to have money, you have to have bus passes, you have to know where you are going and you have to be in the right state of mind. So out here in this area, there are a lot of people in the streets just kind of hopeless.”

A man stands in front of a building posing for a photo with his hands in his pockets. He is looking up toward the left of the frame.
Antony Jackson, CEO of We Can Now, stands in front of the new navigation center. The facility hopes to offer housing to 70 people experiencing homelessness or on the verge of becoming unhoused. PATRICIA LIM/ KUT NEWS

Starting in East Austin

Jackson launched We Can Now in March 2020, focusing on street outreach. Each Sunday, a group of volunteers with the nonprofit sets up at the corner of San Marcos and East Cesar Chavez streets. They serve anywhere from 50 to 75 people with supplies including food, drinks, hygiene products and clothes.

On a recent Sunday morning, volunteers gathered to pray with the people who had come to pick up food and supplies.

They asked for comfort, for help securing IDs, Social Security cards, housing and jobs. They also prayed for each other and expressed thanks for the food and supplies they were about to receive.

Naithan Jones has been volunteering with the organization for years. He met Jackson when he was going through a rough time in his life, and he found healing through giving back.

“When I didn’t know what else to do or think about, I felt led by God to get out and serve others and realize that we’re all going through the journey of life together,” Jones said.

Among the dozens of people in line for food was Joann Causey. She has been living in her truck with her dog for quite some time. Her mission each day is to find a shower as well as food for herself and her dog.

On Sundays, when We Can Now sets up, she fills up her plate and stocks up on supplies. But finding a place to rinse off is a whole other challenge.

“I’ll just go to an abandoned house with a spigot and just hose off there,” Causey said, “or go down to the lake. They’ve got a spigot in the bathroom.” 

She says a navigation center that could provide food, showers and other resources in North Austin would go a long way.

A man wearing gloves organizes bananas and other produce on a table outside.
Afamefuna Ifesinachukwu organizes bananas on a table during an outreach event held by We Can Now outside Terrazas Library in East Austin. Antony Jackson, We Can Now’s CEO, said they pick up fresh fruit every Sunday morning so community members have access to good food. LORIANNE WILLETT/ KUT NEWS

Homelessness in Austin

On any given night, there are nearly 5,000 people without shelter in Austin, according to data from the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition, or ECHO.

Matt Mollica, executive director for ECHO, said more help is needed across the city.

“It’s really critical to get a lot of these different services set up geographically,” Mollica said. “West Austin and sort of West-Central Austin is still kind of a desert for folks who are experiencing homelessness in our community.”

We Can Now’s new center in North Austin is set to open by the end of July.