Stories by Andrew Weber, KUT
Austin OKs plan to buy and retrofit a motel to house homeless
The Austin City Council unanimously passed an $8 million plan to buy and repurpose the Rodeway Inn in South Austin to house people transitioning out of homelessness. The motel could house at least 87 people. Billed as a more proactive…
City Council • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Nov 15, 2019
Austin abandons South Austin shelter as it prepares to buy hotels to house the homeless
Austin is no longer pursuing a 100-bed shelter in South Austin and could opt instead to provide housing in motels for homeless Austinites. The move comes after a suggestion from the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition, the nonprofit that coordinates Austin and…
City Council • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Nov 13, 2019
Gov. Abbott says he'll use five acres of state-owned land to temporarily house homeless Austinites
Gov. Greg Abbott’s office said the state will use five acres of state land at U.S. Highway 183 and Montopolis Drive as a temporary campsite for homeless Austinites. The site would serve as a stopgap until a privately backed effort…
Austin • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Nov 8, 2019
Abbott says TxDOT will start cleaning up homeless camps under highways in Austin starting Monday
Gov. Greg Abbott’s office says it’s forging ahead with cleanups of homeless encampments under overpasses in Austin. Ahead of a Nov. 1 deadline for state intervention, Abbott’s spokesperson John Wittman confirmed that the Texas Department of Transportation will clear underpasses…
Austin • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Oct 30, 2019
As Austin rolls out its revised camping and resting bans, the future is uncertain
Everitt Walls is a company man. The 73-year-old veteran served in the Army in Vietnam. He follows rules and he follows chain of command. He also shares a camp across the street from the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless…
Austin • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Oct 29, 2019
Gov. Abbott moves to clean up homeless camps under bridges in Austin
Gov. Greg Abbott’s office says the Austin City Council has taken a “meaningful step” to address homelessness after its vote last night to partially reinstate a camping ban, but that he intends to ask the Texas Department of Transportation to…
Austin • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Oct 21, 2019
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Austin reinstates limited bans on camping and resting in public
The Austin City Council reinstated partial bans on camping, sitting and lying down in public on Thursday. After hours of debate, Council approved the new ordinance on a 7-4 vote. The city’s new rules ban camping, sitting and lying down…
City Council • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Oct 18, 2019
Austin's homelessness czar steps down a month after her first day
A month after her first official day on the job, Austin’s homeless strategy officer, Lori Pampilo Harris, is quitting. In a letter to Austin City Council on Wednesday, Assistant City Manager Rodney Gonzales said Pampilo Harris is transitioning to a…
City Hall • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Oct 11, 2019
Gov. Abbott threatens state intervention (again) unless Austin reinstates its camping ban
Gov. Greg Abbott doubled down on his threat to intervene over Austin’s homelessness ordinances. Abbott sent a letter to Mayor Steve Adler on Thursday threatening to send in “state agencies and resources,” unless the city reinstates rules banning camping, sitting…
Austin • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Oct 11, 2019
Abbott vows to 'unleash' state resources if Austin doesn't change its homelessness rules by Nov. 1
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says he’s prepared to “unleash the full authority of every state agency” if Austin doesn’t address issues surrounding homelessness by Nov. 1. In a letter to Mayor Steve Adler, Abbott said Austin’s revision of its homelessness…
Texas State Legislature • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Oct 3, 2019
Manchaca Road can now be called Menchaca Road after judge tosses case
Manchaca Road is no more. A judge has dismissed a lawsuit that sought to block the city of Austin from changing the name of the South Austin road to honor a Texas revolutionary. The nearly yearlong battle stemmed from the…
Courts • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Sep 30, 2019
Austin City Council punts on reinstating rules to limit camping and resting in public
City Council declined today to revise rules passed in June that rolled back ordinances banning camping, sitting or lying down in public. Council members may take up the measures again next month. After months of uncertainty on the part of…
