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Millions of dollars are now being put toward testing what’s being called a new model of community safety in east Austin…

After a group of showers closed in downtown Austin, a nonprofit helping those experiencing homelessness brought in a shower trailer from California to help fill the gap…

Last week, a woman experiencing homelessness went into Urban Alchemy, a rehabilitation program for formerly incarcerated individuals, in hopes of finding some help…

Growing up in a community littered with crime, drugs, violence, and trauma is going to shape you directly and indirectly, for better or worse…

While Portland city officials say demand for shelter and affordable housing far outweigh the supply, they also stress that each person given a second chance after living outside in the Rose City is something worth celebrating…

Birmingham has signed a new $1.7-million agreement with a San Francisco nonprofit that hires people who were formerly incarcerated to operate a call center and work to help homeless people find housing…

The partnership with Urban Alchemy and Austin Community College will allow 25 people at ARCH and 8th Street shelters to participate in a training program at no cost…

Unarmed, with an open heart and equipped with water and snacks, as well as with a full list of social and mental health services, David Luna and Chuck Colton spend their week driving to places across Los Angeles to assist and support unhoused individuals experiencing crises…

Urban Alchemy, founded in 2018, prioritizes hiring former long-term offenders (LTOs) — people with life sentences who spent decades in prison — as practitioners and ambassadors to help keep streets clean and safe in areas struggling with extreme poverty, addiction, mental illness and hopelessness.

The city also recently announced that in partnership with nonprofit Urban Alchemy a parking lot in downtown Austin has been turned into a place where people experiencing homelessness can get reprieve and be connected to resources. You can read more about that here.

Urban Alchemy has partnered up with the Downtown Austin Alliance to get the homeless help they need, without getting police involved. “It’s like being around a room full of angels,” said Jackie Webb, who was helped by the Homelessness Engagement Response Team.

Earlier this year, City Controller Kenneth Mejia began an investigation into Urban Alchemy, a city-vendor contracted with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority to run climate stations — where Skid Row residents can receive services and relief from harsh winter and summer weather.