Step Onward Foundation's Love Is Home Gala

Step Onward Foundation is holding its annual Love Is Home Gala on Sunday, September 13, at the Etter-Harbin Alumni Center (2110 San Jacinto Blvd). It runs from 5 PM to 9 PM, and the night is built around the foundation's homelessness-prevention work.

If you've been to one of these before, you know the vibe. Love Is Home trades the usual black-tie formality for something more relaxed and welcoming, focused on connection rather than a dress code. Dinner and cocktails are served, and the evening includes live and silent auctions, with a wine pull and a raffle added to the mix. The proceeds go toward Step Onward's work with families who have chronically ill children facing housing instability, and young adults who lack the support systems they need to build stable, independent lives.

Music has been part of the organization since the beginning. Co-founder Patrice Pike, an Austin Music Hall of Fame inductee, started the foundation more than two decades ago, weaving her commitment to the community together with the city's music culture. That connection is front and center this year: Pike will be there, and the Patrice Pike Band is playing a full set.

Tickets start at $225, and tables are $2,000. The gala runs from 5 PM to 9 PM at the Etter-Harbin Alumni Center, 2110 San Jacinto Blvd.