San Marcos

San Marcos is a river town between Austin and San Antonio, home to Texas State University and a mix of old Texas hill country charm with fast-growing suburban sprawl. The average household income sits around $75,000, but that number hides a lot of strain, since student renters and low-wage service workers pull the median in different directions, and housing costs have climbed hard in the last few years. Hays County's point-in-time count identified roughly 200 people experiencing homelessness in 2023, a figure advocates say undercounts the reality, especially those sleeping in cars or camping along the San Marcos River. The city has real resources if you know where to look: the Hays County Food Bank offers groceries and some case management, the San Marcos Housing Authority handles vouchers and rental assistance, and the First Baptist Church San Marcos has run cold-weather shelter nights and meal programs. Community Action Inc. of Hays, Caldwell, and Blanco Counties can also help with utility assistance and connecting people to longer-term aid. It's a college town, so services can be crowded or shift with the school calendar, but people here do care and there are hands willing to help. You're not invisible here, and you don't have to figure this out alone tonight.