California–Texas Delegation Highlights a New  Path Forward on Homelessness

Last week, the Bay Area Council partnered with member Beyond Homeless to lead a delegation of 60 leaders from California’s business, civic, philanthropic, housing, and public sectors to Texas to study large-scale campus models addressing homelessness. What we saw was eye-opening and offered innovative approaches that could offer great promise for our region. The delegation included three state Senators (Becker, Blakespear, Cortese), homelessness and housing leaders from SF, Oakland, San Jose, and private sector leaders in healthcare, service delivery, philanthropy, and civic engagement.

Together, we toured Haven for Hope in San Antonio, which has helped reduce unsheltered homelessness downtown by more than 75% and delivers an estimated $29 in economic return for every $1 invested. We also visited Community First! Village in Austin—a 51-acre permanent housing community that has created one of the most cost-effective, dignity-focused solutions in the nation. These campuses co-locate housing, behavioral health, workforce training, and recovery services on a single site, creating economies of scale and dramatically reducing reliance on jails, ER visits, and street services. Texas, which spends just $806 per unhoused person annually—compared to California’s $11,000—achieves far better outcomes, including 81% fewer homeless residents per capita and one of the nation’s lowest overdose death rates.

California is home to the largest concentration of innovation, philanthropy, and private-sector influence in the world—yet also to the nation’s most visible homelessness crisis. The takeaway from Texas was unanimous: scalable solutions only happen when the business community is at the table driving cross-sector alignment. The Bay Area has the resources, expertise, and moral authority to lead the nation in developing new models that meet our region’s needs and can be replicated globally. Now is the time for business leaders to step forward—not just as funders, but as architects of a regional solution. 

If you are interested in being part of a working group focused on policy alignment, campus development opportunities, and blended funding strategies, please contact Senior Vice President Adrian Covert.