2019 Cohort Kickoff

We are The Other Ones Foundation (TOOF). We are a homelessness service organization that transitions Austin’s homeless neighbors into an engaged community through shelter, opportunity, and support.

We couldn’t be happier to join these 11 other amazing organizations on this journey. Over the next six months our cohort will hone skills and build relationships vital to our collective mission of providing access to those who have been passed over by the bounty of Austin’s robust economy.

Trying to go it alone is a dangerous pitfall of activism and advocacy work. Whether we think that we are the ones who got it right , that others don’t care as much as we do, or any of the other numerous possible reasons for trying to work solo, we cannot afford to isolate in this field. Abundant resources, caring hearts, and innovative minds are just some of the things that await us in Austin if we are able to work together and deliver our message and services to people in an effective manner.

One of TOOF’s founding principals is radical acceptance. We work in service of the marginalized. The vulnerable. The “other ones” out there living on the fringes. Those forgotten, left behind, or overlooked. Many people come to us with such extreme trauma that their ability to access basic resources has been lost, making it impossible to “bootstrap” themselves up out of poverty. We love them, accept them, and, if possible, help them get a little cash in their hands to get them through the day. We accept them, exactly as they are, with no expectations or strings attached.

We want to proceed through this cohort with that same level of loving acceptance for all people, whether they are other nonprofits, government entities, or corporations. Every single person we come across has the potential to be an ally in this fight. No donation is too small, no company too young, no bureaucrat too square, and no government body too obstinate.

As children of the Hippie and Punk Rock eras, we were told to fight the power and trust no figure of authority. Now, we turn the page to a new chapter in which we work, side by side, with every human we encounter toward a brighter, more inclusive future. We are The Other Ones Foundation, we are the 2019 Austin Impact Accelerator Cohort, and we are human beings, we will not fight this fight alone.