Outreach to Persons in Need Ministry

Service Area
We only accept applications from City of Austin residents living at an Austin address. We also accept requests for help with City of Austin Utilities/Austin Energy bills, regardless of your address.

If you live in any of the following zip codes: 78703, 78705, 78722, 78751, 78756, call the St. Austin St. Vincent de Paul Society (SVDP) for assistance at 512-477-1589. Leave a message and they will call you back. Outreach does not serve these zip codes.

Services Provided
We offer help with a little bit of rent OR a utility bill, such as water, electricity, or gas (1 bill). Although we have offered other services in the past, we are currently limited to rent and utilities assistance for the foreseeable future. We refer appplicants who are selected in our lottery to additional rent and utility services as well as other services that may be helpful or are requested.

We do NOT help with:

• eviction notices, notices to vacate, notices to cure, notice of proposed evictions, or if you owe 2 months of rent or more

• rent or utility deposits

• hotel or motel bills

• internet or cell phone bills

• finding or securing housing

We do NOT make assistance checks out to individuals, including landlords or the person requesting assistance. Landlords/apartment complexes must accept a business check that is mailed directly from the program. We are unable to make electronic payments or provide rental assistance via money order or cashier's check. Assistance checks are mailed via USPS and Outreach makes no guarantees about checks arriving or arriving by a certain time. Please apply as early as possible to have the best chance of being chosen in our lottery and (for those who are chosen in our lottery) for checks to arrive before late fees accrue or the eviction process begins.

Application Process

To be considered for help with your rent OR utility bill, you (or someone on your behalf) must text or email the following information to [email protected] (or [email protected] for Spanish-speakers):

This information is also accepted via mail, although email is preferred. Please note that Outreach has no control over when mail arrives and that mailed applications cannot be processed until they are received. Mailed applications must include a phone number to be considered.

Selection Process
We determine who we can help by randomly drawing names in a weekly lottery for a little bit of assistance (usually $100-$200). Lottery drawings for assistance and interview calls are made nearly every Thursday morning. Calls from our volunteer team must be answered for assistance to be provided. 

Reapplying for Assistance

If you have been helped by St. Austin Outreach in the past, you are eligible to reapply ONE YEAR (12 months) after the last time you were assisted by us. Reapplying does not guarantee assistance, and priority is given to those we have not helped before. 

Assistance is determined by household, so if your spouse/partner, roommate, or another adult who lives with you has received assistance from us in the past 12 months, you and they are not eligible for additional assistance with any bill until the 12 months have passed. The only exceptions are sober living facilities or housing arrangements where residents have separate leases.