Stories

A New Beginning: Terrace at Oak Springs

Homelessness is a crisis in Central Texas and it’s reaching a boiling point in Austin. We know that creative solutions are necessary to make a lasting change, and we are inspired by the work of our grant partners who are leading the way. In September, our grant partner Integral Care opened Terrace at Oak Springs, a permanent supportive apartment complex in East Austin. This community is made of 50 apartments, and includes access to primary and mental health care for adults. It’s also the first housing development in Austin to utilize the Housing First model, guided by the belief that people need basic necessities like food and a place to live before attending to anything less critical, such as getting a job, budgeting properly, or attending to substance use issues.

St. David’s Foundation provided $1.6 million to support the project, which helped build the on-site clinic that will provide primary and mental health care. The clinic will also be available to neighbors in the surrounding community, providing a medical home to more than just the residents in the complex. In addition to funding the clinic, we also partnered with Art from The Streets to create an inspirational mural which will be the first thing people see when they arrive at the building. 

“Austin needs the community to come together to create solutions to homelessness.  This building and clinic are examples of the community working together to solve hard problems.” 

– William Buster, EVP of Community Investments

The Terrace at Oak Springs is a space where care is truly designed around the clients’ individual needs. When mental and physical health care are intertwined within healthcare delivery systems, health outcomes improve. We can’t wait to see the difference that Terrace at Oak Springs can make in the lives of its future residents.

Integral Care & St. David’s Foundation

St. David’s Foundation’s long-standing relationship with Integral Care goes all the way back to 2008. Since then, we’ve invested almost $14 million in their programs and services. These grants included covering the creation and operation of the Herman Center for Mental Health Crisis Care, a major expansion of Mental Health First Aid, services for housing supports, services to eliminate waiting list for care and support for the Mayor’s Mental Health task force, among other initiatives.

This story was published as part of the October issue of St. David’s Foundation’s 411 newsletter. Click below to read the other stories in this issue.

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