April 9, 2025
The Travis County Hospital District has developed a private-public program with the assisted living community, which lines up temporary housing for unhoused senior patients.
AUSTIN, Texas—In a bold move to bridge the gap between health care and housing, Central Health has teamed up with Parsons House Austin to offer a lifeline to unhoused older adults in Travis County. Through this first-of-its-kind partnership in Texas, vulnerable patients enrolled in Central Health’s Medical Access Program (MAP) and MAP Basic are now able to receive temporary housing and wraparound support in a safe, welcoming assisted living environment — a crucial step toward recovery, stability, and long-term independence.
Founded in November 2024 as a branch of Central Health’s Residential Rooming program, the initiative connects unsheltered patients who are referred by Central Health nurses, providers, and community health workers (CHWs) to temporary housing, ensuring physical and social needs are being met in a stable environment with personalized care. Patients with needs for mobility aid, activities of daily living (ADL), and medication support have full access to three meals a day, health care coordination, wellness checks and medication management, along with concierge-level and residential rooming services as they seek long-term housing solutions.
“Our partnership with Parsons House is a critical step in addressing the intersection of housing and health care for seniors,” said Central Health President & CEO Dr. Patrick Lee. “Unhoused individuals over 50 often endure accelerated aging and complex health challenges that are worsened by the lack of a stable place to heal. Through this program, we’re providing not just housing but tailored medical care and social services, all under one roof. This stability allows our patients to heal, rebuild trust in health care, and avoid preventable hospitalizations. Together, we’re proving that systemic change starts with community-centered solutions that prioritize dignity as much as clinical outcomes.
Behind The Partnership
Through the partnership, Parsons House Austin provides a total of 5 rooms and 10 beds for Central Health patients, while Central Health fully furnishes each room and provides personal effects.
Cameron Parsons, the CEO of Parsons Group, LLC (dba Parsons House), is a strong advocate for the program and says he’s excited to work in conjunction with Travis County’s hospital district to support vulnerable Austin residents.
“Since 1999, Parsons Group has served low-income seniors and sought new opportunities to help communities where we operate,” Parsons said. “We strive to fulfill our mission of serving elders, offering unconditional love, nurturing personal growth, celebrating life, and making a difference. This partnership aligns perfectly with our goals, and we are honored to participate.”
Working in tandem, Central Health provides a case management team, consisting of a nurse and a CHW, while Parsons House provides on-site concierge service and administrative support. With the goal of changing lives through overall health care equity and the management of medical needs and accessibility to affordable housing, unhoused patients are provided support to overcome social determinants of health such as housing, food insecurity and employment.
“This partnership has been a valuable addition to Central Health’s Residential Rooming program, providing short-term housing solutions for individuals in need of accessible accommodations while continuing to pursue permanent housing options,” said Andrea Shaw, the Sr. Associate Director of Nursing. “Our on-site case management staff has been instrumental in supporting the progress of individuals’ long-term housing plans and health care coordination.”
Historical Information about Parsons House
Operated by the Parsons Group LLC, an organization founded over 40 years ago to bring single room occupancy hotels and concierge-level services to seniors, the Parsons House Austin is independently owned and has been in Northeast Austin since 2001. Patients have access to a movie theater, game rooms, exercise rooms, and a chapel, while local artists and motifs from historical eras decorate the walls of the community.
Central Health’s partnership with Parsons House Austin is the first between a public health system and a private assisted living facility in Texas, but Parsons Group has fostered a similar program in the public sector in California. In 1999, Parsons Group partnered with the Housing Authority of Santa Barbara to manage Garden Court. The partnership was such a success that in 2020, Gardens on Hope was developed. Both locations offer independent-assisted living in California and serve low-income residents, providing housing to vulnerable populations susceptible to homelessness. The program earns funding through project-based Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, a plan which makes rent affordable at 30% of a resident’s income level.
“We’re so proud of this collaboration and have met and cared for hundreds of people over the course of 26 years. These residents have been teachers, artists, business owners, professionals, and everything in between, and to know we’ve provided them with a real home, it means the world to us,” Parsons said.
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About Central Health
Central Health, the Travis County Hospital District, is the local public agency and comprehensive health care system that connects Travis County residents with low income and no access to basic health needs with quality health care.
About Parsons House
Parsons House Austin is situated on a 3-acre lot located at 1130 Camino La Costa in the historic neighborhoods of St. John’s/Coronado Hills. The community boasts community dining, libraries, game rooms, fitness areas, a private movie theater, and outdoor spaces to enjoy. Parsons House also provides three meals a day, housekeeping, transportation, as well as a host of social programs, community events and celebrations. Parsons Group currently owns and operates Independent Living, Assisted Living, and Memory Care communities in Austin, Cypress, La Porte and Dallas (Preston Hollow), Texas.