The Austin Street Center is an emergency shelter for homeless people in downtown Dallas and areas around the city. The shelter helps people meet their basic needs, including a safe place to sleep, showers, two sets of clothes, and meals provided by volunteers and donors.

“We have several programs here at Austin Street to assist our folks in finding jobs,” Austin Street Center’s Lottie Price said. “We also will help our folks find housing and medical care.”

Two women, Renee Richmond with one half and Amy Riedl with the other, are in charge of organizing donations and meals for the shelter made by residents of the Hunters Creek area.

“I’ve volunteered at the Austin Street Center for about five years,” Riedl said. “I got involved when a neighbor started, well she started a group in the neighborhood but she had been doing it for about 14 years, so I’ve done it the last five and within the last three we’ve broke into two different groups so we could serve two meals a month instead of just one. So I now head up this group, this secondary group and I’ve been leading that one for two years.”

The two groups serve meals such as salad and bread, to the people housed inside the shelter and later to the people out on the street.

“So our family volunteers twice a month, and we serve lunch one Saturday a month and one Sunday a month,” Richmond said. “On the Saturday we serve lasagna and garlic bread and salad, and on the Sunday we serve chili and toast for the residents. We also make up carepacks, hygiene items for the people on the streets around Austin Street, and we’ve done several drives for the coats and hats and gloves and blankets as well.”

The care packs made by volunteers in the neighborhood consist of items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, winter wear, snacks, hand sanitizer, and more basic items.

This is Alexis Jennings, reporting for Wingspan TV.