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Tag Archives: Austin City Council Public Health Committee

City needs up to eight permanent supportive housing projects per year to solve homeless housing

The city’s housing staff members acknowledge a need to accelerate the pace of new permanent supportive housing projects in the coming years to meet the long-term goal of 5,000 additional units over the next decade to address the long-term needs…

Public health commissioners eye heat resistance steps for city budget requests

Public health proponents for the city and Travis County appear ready to push for more heat mitigation resources in the next city budget, with a recent playbook from the Office of Resilience likely to help prioritize those financial requests. At…

Council to see requests for Marshalling Yard extension, ECHO's $350M homelessness plan

The Public Health Committee has recommended adopting the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) long-term forecast for addressing homelessness, signaling a commitment to spend an estimated $350 million over the next decade to fill gaps in the city’s homelessness response system.…

ECHO's $350M plan offers to 'effectively end' homelessness in Austin

The city is projected to need $35 million annually over a 10-year period to effectively end homelessness via a plan that emphasizes adding hundreds of permanent supportive housing units while also addressing emergency shelter and prevention steps to keep people…

Homeless Strategy Office turns its focus to prevention and diversion

With a $2.1 million boost from the federal American Rescue Plan Act and City Council’s recent approval of a contract for navigation services, the Homeless Strategy Office is now better equipped to address housing barriers, HSO leader David Gray told…

Council wants changes to rapid rehousing for homeless ahead of federal aid cutoff

The city will look for ways to improve and possibly restructure assistance programs for those at risk of losing their homes, in anticipation of the end of federal aid used to address homelessness. Last week, City Council approved a resolution…

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Public Health Committee weighs Marshalling Yard complaints, McKinsey homelessness study

Members of Vocal-TX, a grassroots organization that represents low-income people directly impacted by homelessness, and other Austin residents raised concerns about City Council’s handling of homelessness at the Public Health Committee meeting on Wednesday. Their concerns centered on Marshalling Yard,…

ECHO says permanent supportive housing is the only way out of Austin's homelessness crisis

Austin’s Ending Community Homelessness Coalition joined City Council’s Public Health Committee this month to break down the nonprofit’s latest point-in-time count, which in late January found 2,374 Austinites experiencing some degree of homelessness. While that figure is down from 2020,…

Salvation Army’s handling of downtown shelter closure draws Council criticism

The Salvation Army’s handling of the closure of its downtown shelter was the target of criticism at City Council’s Public Health Committee meeting on Wednesday. Critiques came from Mayor Kirk Watson, members of City Council, and clients of the shelter…

City, Central Health eye partnership for homeless respite care facility

The city may soon begin talks with Central Health and homelessness service providers focused on creating a permanent health care facility to aid those experiencing homelessness in recovering from significant illnesses and injuries. The state of respite care for the…

Nearly half of homeless residents exit HEAL program without housing

Despite the city’s work to move those living in homeless encampments into permanent housing, nearly half of all temporary shelter inhabitants exit the system and return to homelessness. One hundred and two people – 48 percent of those moved into shelter…

City explores harm reduction strategies to address the overdose crisis

The Texas Harm Reduction Alliance addressed the Public Health Committee last week about the overdose crisis in Travis County. More than 300 people in the area died of a preventable overdose last year, and more than 100 of those deaths…

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