Integral Care Opens 60-Unit Seabrook Square II Supportive Housing in East Austin

Seabrook Square II, a 60-unit permanent supportive housing community in East Austin operated by Integral Care, began welcoming residents in mid-August. The facility is designed to provide a path out of chronic homelessness for individuals with documented disabling conditions. According to Integral Care, the new community specifically serves those who have experienced at least one year of homelessness, either consecutively or cumulatively, and who are single adults.

Travis County officials reported that 3,238 people were experiencing homelessness, marking a 36% increase from 2023. County data indicates that 44% of these individuals reported it was their first time without stable housing. In response to these figures, the new housing initiative aims to address the growing need for permanent solutions rather than temporary shelter.

Kristi Kaiser, Integral Care’s practice administrator for housing and healthcare in its homeless initiatives, stated that fourteen residents moved in during the week of August 17. Four additional referrals are currently in process, with more residents expected to arrive in groups of approximately fifteen. Referrals are processed through the county’s Coordinated Entry system, managed by the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition, which prioritizes individuals based on their level of vulnerability.

The housing model employed at Seabrook Square II is known as Housing First, meaning that treatment and sobriety are not required for residency. There is no waitlist for the units. Rent is capped at 30% of a resident’s income, or $0 for those with no income, under a standard Texas lease. This approach focuses on stabilizing housing before addressing other health or social needs.

Integral Care provides a full-time team of services exclusively to Seabrook Square II residents, including a program manager, a licensed therapist, and two peer support specialists with lived experience of homelessness or behavioral health conditions. Security is present on site 24 hours a day. Amenities include shared laundry facilities, community areas, a donation-run food pantry, recurring art and cooking classes, and outdoor courtyard seating.

Residents at the adjacent Seabrook Square I are not eligible for the on-site services provided at Seabrook Square II. However, Kaiser noted that anyone in the community can access Integral Care’s behavioral health clinic and Lone Star Circle of Care’s primary care clinic located on Airport Boulevard. The unit layouts for the new facility were shaped by feedback from Integral Care’s two earlier supportive housing sites, Terrace at Oak Springs and Bungal.

The provision of stable housing and support services reflects a commitment to treating vulnerable neighbors with dignity and care. In the context of public policy and community response, such initiatives align with the biblical principle of providing for those in need, as seen in the call to defend the rights of the poor and the orphan (Proverbs 31:8-9). The focus on housing first underscores the importance of meeting basic human needs as a foundation for further restoration and community integration.

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