The homeless of Austin often go unseen. If you ask, some Austinites will tell you that the faces of this issue can be seen with signs at busy intersections, highway entrance or exit ramps and all around downtown. They’re also the people you might not expect, from the guy sitting in the next seat at your local coffee shop to the woman who works part time at the shop on the corner. Whatever their situation, there’s no denying the fact that there is a large population of people in Austin who don’t know whether they’ll be sleeping in a bed or on hard concrete tonight.

Homelessness is an issue that most metropolitan areas have to address, and Austin is no different. Rooted is starting a project documenting homelessness in Austin, and programs designed to solve this issue. As of the last count there were thousands of people designated as homeless in Austin and Travis County. Next week, you get a close-up look at one of those people. In the following weeks you’ll be able to explore the rest of the issue — and how you can help.