Camp Haven Homeless Sanctuary Needs Your Help
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Want to help end homelessness in Central Texas? Camp Haven Homeless Sanctuary needs you!
Camp Haven is a private campground outside Austin that is being used to help homeless people transition from living on the streets to safe and affordable housing.
So let me introduce myself: I am Josiah Ingalls. Twenty-four years ago, when I was 17, I found myself homeless and on the streets, where I lived for about 2 ½ years. That experience transformed me as an advocate for homeless individuals. Throughout my life since then, I have often found myself speaking out and being the voice for the homeless population of Austin and surrounding areas. My real advocacy work for them started back when I ran for mayor of Austin in 2009. I found myself defending them and fighting to maintain social programs that were on the chopping block at that time due to the downturn in the economy.
And now I am standing here as an advocate for the homeless once again, as a direct response to Austin, Texas’ Proposition B and the new Texas camping ban that will be going into effect in October 2021. This camping bans will do little more than criminalize the existence of individuals who are homeless and have nowhere else to go.
So now I'm doing the only logical thing I can do at this time, and that is turning the 10 acres that I have been tailoring as a campground for the past five years into a place where homeless individuals can come. I also am working to use another piece of land that my company owns for the same purpose. Over the past several months as this project has begun to develop, we have determined that our two biggest needs right now are 1) acquiring a 501(c)(3) status, and 2) a vehicle to facilitate turning this land into transitional housing for the homeless.
So I'm asking you to help me help others. I have the drive and the experience to help homeless individuals in need, but I cannot do it alone. But together we can accomplish it and begin to change the structure of society so stacked against the homeless population here in Texas.
While we’re working hard to acquire goods and services for this goal, we need to find resources to do some things as quickly as possible:
· Establish Camp Haven as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Cost: about $800.
· Purchase a 15-passenger van for transporting people from Camp Haven to their medical appointments, grocery stores and other resources in the city. We estimate a good, used van will cost about $12,000.
That’s an overall goal of $12,800 – and if we manage to raise more than that, we’ll put the extra funds toward acquiring pallet shelters from palletshelter.com. (These are weatherproof mini-housing units with locking doors – much better than tents.)
When people of conscience come together by the hundreds to support a humanitarian project, even small donations add up quickly. So please consider giving $5, $10, or whatever you can afford to help make Camp Haven a success story for unhoused people – and a model for Texas and the nation!
Can’t spare any cash right now, but have some time on your hands? Consider volunteering to get Camp Haven ready for its new people! Just contact Josiah through the messaging platform here on this site.
Camp Haven is a private campground outside Austin that is being used to help homeless people transition from living on the streets to safe and affordable housing.
So let me introduce myself: I am Josiah Ingalls. Twenty-four years ago, when I was 17, I found myself homeless and on the streets, where I lived for about 2 ½ years. That experience transformed me as an advocate for homeless individuals. Throughout my life since then, I have often found myself speaking out and being the voice for the homeless population of Austin and surrounding areas. My real advocacy work for them started back when I ran for mayor of Austin in 2009. I found myself defending them and fighting to maintain social programs that were on the chopping block at that time due to the downturn in the economy.
And now I am standing here as an advocate for the homeless once again, as a direct response to Austin, Texas’ Proposition B and the new Texas camping ban that will be going into effect in October 2021. This camping bans will do little more than criminalize the existence of individuals who are homeless and have nowhere else to go.
So now I'm doing the only logical thing I can do at this time, and that is turning the 10 acres that I have been tailoring as a campground for the past five years into a place where homeless individuals can come. I also am working to use another piece of land that my company owns for the same purpose. Over the past several months as this project has begun to develop, we have determined that our two biggest needs right now are 1) acquiring a 501(c)(3) status, and 2) a vehicle to facilitate turning this land into transitional housing for the homeless.
So I'm asking you to help me help others. I have the drive and the experience to help homeless individuals in need, but I cannot do it alone. But together we can accomplish it and begin to change the structure of society so stacked against the homeless population here in Texas.
While we’re working hard to acquire goods and services for this goal, we need to find resources to do some things as quickly as possible:
· Establish Camp Haven as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Cost: about $800.
· Purchase a 15-passenger van for transporting people from Camp Haven to their medical appointments, grocery stores and other resources in the city. We estimate a good, used van will cost about $12,000.
That’s an overall goal of $12,800 – and if we manage to raise more than that, we’ll put the extra funds toward acquiring pallet shelters from palletshelter.com. (These are weatherproof mini-housing units with locking doors – much better than tents.)
When people of conscience come together by the hundreds to support a humanitarian project, even small donations add up quickly. So please consider giving $5, $10, or whatever you can afford to help make Camp Haven a success story for unhoused people – and a model for Texas and the nation!
Can’t spare any cash right now, but have some time on your hands? Consider volunteering to get Camp Haven ready for its new people! Just contact Josiah through the messaging platform here on this site.
Organiser and beneficiary
Josiah Ingalls
Organiser
Wyldwood, TX
Dan McGowan
Beneficiary
