Updates & newsletters
MCSS Funding Shortage:
We wanted to share with you that our Ramadan Fundraising goals fell $50,000 short of our projected budget for 2023. The significant number of challenges the Muslim Community members continue to face include some of the following situations.
Housing – Housing costs in Austin are at an all time high. In 2022 67.1 % of our annual budget went toward rent assistance. The majority of our clients who struggle with rent payments consist of refugees and survivors of domestic violence. We are grateful to say that with the tremendous support of our donors we were able to assist individuals with debilitating medical issues who needed rent assistance as well.
Refugee Stabilization – Recently, the only refugee resettlement agency in Austin abruptly declared bankruptcy and closed their doors. This action left dozens of newly arrived refugees without financial support and social services. MCSS continues to work with other members of the Austin Refugee Roundtable to create a more stable network of support for refugees in Austin.
Food – Food costs have soared in the past two years. Many of our clients struggle to get enough food for their children. We try to alleviate hunger by providing food vouchers to World Halal Market so that our clients can afford Halal meat and groceries.
High Utility Costs – Utility costs continue to rise in Austin. Fortunately, MCSS is Plus 1 Partner with the City of Austin. This means we are able to access City of Austin emergency funding to pay overdue and disconnected electric bills.
We would love to keep all our programs active without removing funding from services that help our clients access a home, food/water, electricity and overall support for unfortunate circumstances. Please help prevent our programs from losing their momentum.
