Chris Baker, executive director at The Other Ones Foundation, said their program relies on various funding sources, but as they enter the next fiscal year, the city of Austin has withdrawn funding, leaving them to rely on contracts and government agencies while nearing the end of American Rescue Plan support. Baker was a guest on a recent episode of the Texas Talks Podcast.

“It's a whole constellation, and there are many different funding sources," said Baker in a recent edition of the Texas Talks Podcast. “Right now, going into this last fiscal year, it was some city money, some state money, some federal money, some county money, and a lot of private donations. None of them were super significant, but collectively, it's enough for us to do what we do.”

“Going into this next fiscal year, the city of Austin has moved away from funding our program; their money is tied up, I guess, this year," said Baker. “I think moving into this next year, we're going to wrap up and get to the tail end of that American Rescue Plan funding, and then kind of see what happens. Right now, I'd say the lion's share of what we call our restricted funding comes from contracts or government agencies.”

Baker serves as the executive director at The Other Ones Foundation, which provides shelter and workforce services to the homeless. He earned his degree from SUNY Oneonta in 2007 and gained experience in homelessness services, activism, music, writing, and legal work. He founded The Other Ones Foundation in 2017 to implement his new approaches to addressing homelessness.

Texas Talks podcast is hosted by Brad Swail. The weekly show is focused on public policy in the state of Texas, with insights from the people and organizations that influence it.

The podcast is available on Simple Cast and YouTube.