AUSTIN, Texas — Terra Harris is following her passion to make a difference in the community as she takes on the fight against homelessness in Austin. Harris is the executive director of Front Steps, a nonprofit organization that manages the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless known as the ARC, providing aide to over 4,500 individuals experiencing homelessness in Austin.

“I’ve always been involved with supporting and assisting individuals from undeserved communities. I came from an underserved community and one of the things I knew about my community was that although we were underserved, it did not mean that we did not have the ability to make a difference,” said Harris.

The City of Austin plans to house 3,000 individuals experiencing homelessness over the next three years as part of a Homeless Summit Initiative. The initiative is calling for more than $500 million toward equitable access and outcomes. Funds will be allocated to community partnered programs like Front Steps for housing solutions.

With access to those funds, Harris says the organization would focus on having group locations where housing would be provided for homeless individuals. She added it would be ideal for Front Steps as an organization to own supportive housing units.

“We should always have housing that is affordable so we do not have more people experiencing homelessness,” said Harris.