Building Collaborative Solutions: Innovation at the Intersection of Homelessness and Healthcare in Austin

Danica Fraher, LMSW, MPH is the Healthcare Systems Manager at the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO), where she bridges the gap between housing and healthcare systems to support vulnerable unhoused populations in Austin/Travis County. She is a leader in major initiatives like the Permanent Supportive Housing Healthcare Collaborative and At Home Initiative, focusing on integration through strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, and project coordination. Danica is also spearheading Austin’s first comprehensive report on unhoused mortality, combining data and community stories to inform service delivery and reduce preventable early deaths. Her work is crucial in strengthening healthcare partnerships, promoting innovative programming across health and housing systems, and enhancing cross-systems success through creative solutions.

Prior to her current role, Danica worked at Dell Medical School and took part in the development of the Understanding Homelessness curriculum, an online program now utilized across Texas universities in helping budding health professionals improve their service delivery through a deeper understanding of the experience of homelessness. Danica’s career is deeply rooted in advancing health and racial equity, with a continuous focus on aiding those experiencing housing instability, homelessness, and severe mental illness.