Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sues nonprofit that serves homeless in South Austin

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued an Austin nonprofit that serves people experiencing homelessness.

The lawsuit accuses Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center of fostering drug use, violence and other activities that endanger nearby residents.

Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center has operated out of Sunrise Community Church in South Austin since 2015. Its primary hub at the church provides care for a variety of needs, including food, cold weather gear, medication storage, health care assistance, computer lab access, mail service and help with housing applications. Homeless people can also make contact with the center via its hotline or its mobile outreach program.

Paxton’s lawsuit characterizes Sunrise as operating as a “common nuisance” in the neighborhood. His office seeks a court order that would halt operations at Sunrise for a year and prohibit the center from operating within 1,000 feet “of any school, playground, or youth center.”

The lawsuit alleges neighbors, including children and staff at Joslin Elementary, have witnessed inappropriate and threatening behavior from Sunrise clients.

“This organization is threatening students’ health and safety and unjustly worsening daily life for every single resident of the neighborhood,” Paxton said in a statement.

Mark Hilbelink, the center’s executive director, called Paxton’s lawsuit “regrettable.” He said that as a church-based ministry, the navigation center is protected under the First Amendment and other laws covering religious institutions.

“Sunrise intends to keep offering services to people in our community who need them,” Hilbelink said in a statement. “We are committed to being a good neighbor. We will continue to work, every day, to support Joslin Elementary School, our neighborhood, and our entire community.”

The center reported serving more than 10,800 clients in 2023, including connecting 803 people with housing. It also fielded more than 23,000 calls to its hotline, which was launched in 2022. Sunrise recently announced that its call center would triple its hours.

“Sunrise is one of the strongest leaders in the Austin community at bringing innovative, low-barrier, and smart solutions to issues that have been difficult to address in homeless services for years,” Hilbelink said in a statement last week announcing the hotline expansion.

This story was produced as part of the Austin Monitor’s reporting partnership with KUT.

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