Street Forum

Street Forum was formed in the Spring of 2019 as part of a local grassroots movement to decriminalize homelessness in Austin, TX. Our original mission was to gather feedback and rally support for the repeal of no sit/no lie, no camping, and anti-panhandling local ordinances which punish people in need and have no benefit other than to placate those who want to see homelessness hidden away, far from needed resources. We began by providing hot breakfast and Know Your Rights literature and we've evolved into providing many more services. We have set up our pop-up cafe in Republic Square Park every Sunday for 7 years (we missed just one week when quarantine first began). The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to dramatically adapt our format and routines to continue providing essential services safely. Culturally, Street Forum aims to be distinct from institutional care orgs serving our local unhoused community. We operate on a solidarity-driven model and train our housed volunteers in navigating privilege gaps. We believe that housing is a human right and that being housed has nothing to do with being deserving but everything to do with being lucky. We understand wealth redistribution as the enactment of justice and reject the othering of recipients that often comes with "charity" driven work. We have no connection to the carceral system and no confidence in policing as a concept. We recognize that colonialism, a complex made of white supremacy and capitalism, is the root cause of homelessness. The safety and comfort of people sharing spaces where we serve is at the core of our mission. We provide volunteer training in mental health first aid, crisis de-escalation, COVID safety, and filming the police. We encourage volunteers to slow down and focus on the human connections that happen during our events. We welcome all the anger and despair that comes with homelessness and make space for them to be expressed safely. We serve food and supplies because people need them and it brings people in. We sit down and listen because people need that too.