The H.O.M.E. Board

“HOME is more than housing assistance – it’s a declaration that our elders in music matter. It’s Austin showing up for its own.” – Marcia Ball

In 2012, a small group of steadfast Austin women in the music industry gathered around Marcia Ball’s kitchen table with a shared purpose: keep Miss Lavelle White, an 84-year-old blues legend, housed in the city she helped shape. This wasn’t a grand plan – just a simple, urgent act of love. Lavelle, who had been performing since the 1950s and inspired generations on stages like Antone’s and C‑Boy’s, unexpectedly lost stable housing. They raised rent, furnished her apartment, and reminded her – and all of us – that “there’s a side of Austin that really cares.”

That kitchen-table moment sparked something bigger. As Marcia, Lavelle, Carolyn Wonderland, Shelley King, Nancy Coplin, and others shared that story, they realized: this wasn’t just Lavelle’s spotlight – it was a shared responsibility. HOME was born, with Lavelle as its first recipient – and its north star.

From that humble beginning, HOME evolved into a lifeline for aging Austin artists. Hundreds of grant awards later, our mission remains focused: help musicians stay in their homes with dignity and security. We’ve grown – from rent and utility support to multi-year housing grants, advocacy, and partnerships with housing and health organizations.

Every day, HOME stands for something bigger than aid. We stand for recognition – of decades of creativity, mentorship, and cultural contribution. We stand for justice – that no artist should be forced out of their home in the city they helped build. And we stand for community – because being at HOME means dignity and belonging.

Thanks to the music lovers, volunteers, board members, donors, and event attendees whose kindness keeps HOME singing. The work that began at Marcia’s table and for Lavelle now echoes across hundreds of lives – and reaches toward a future where every one of Austin’s musical legends lives with security, respect, and home.