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Texas vehicle owners now have an opportunity to donate to the state's Ending Homelessness Fund with any first-time Vehicle Registration or Vehicle Registration Renewal online at www.texas.gov (look for the Vehicle Registration Renewal link) or when registering or renewing vehicle registration in person at a county tax assessor-collector office, substation, or subcontractor, such as a participating grocery store.
Donations to Texas’ Ending Homelessness Fund will:
- Help prevent families and individuals from becoming homeless; and
- Help families and individuals experiencing homelessness secure stable housing; and
- Help emergency shelters support families and individuals experiencing homelessness to move toward self sufficiency.
Contributions to the Ending Homelessness Fund
From the launch date through April 2021, Texans have voluntarily contributed $1,291,615.30 to the Ending Homelessness Fund.
TDHCA distributes the contributions to the Fund to eligible cities and counties that administer the current federally-funded Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) Program and state-funded Homeless Housing and Services Program (HHSP). Distributions are made at least once per fiscal year.
Contributions to the Fund will help enhance the number and quality of emergency shelters, prevent families and individuals from becoming homeless, encourage self-sufficiency behaviors and secure stable housing. At such time when contributions will be distributed, a Notice of Funding Availability will be released with equal amounts directed to TDHCA-approved and active ESG providers, including current city or municipality providers.
By the Numbers
According to the 2023 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (PDF, www.hud.gov), on a given night in January in Texas…
- 21,022 Persons were homeless;
- 1,358 Unaccompanied youth (under the age of 25) were homeless;
- 2,036 Veterans were homeless; and
- 6,355 People in families with children were homeless.
About the Fund
The 85th Texas Legislature passed H.B. 4102, which was enacted to be effective on September 1, 2017. The act amended Subchapter H, Chapter 502, Transportation Code to add Section 502.415, Voluntary Contribution to Ending Homelessness Fund. This section allows registrants of a motor vehicle in Texas to elect to contribute any amount of funds to the newly established Ending Homelessness fund. Funds will be sent by the assessor-collector to the comptroller, and held in trust to be administered by the Department as trustee. The funds must be utilized to provide grants to counties and municipalities to combat homelessness. The act further requires the Department to adopt rules governing applications for grants from the Fund, and the issuance of those grants.