Gov. Greg Abbott says he’s using state police to clear homeless encampments across Austin – including on parks and trails maintained and owned by the city. That was news to Austin Mayor Kirk Watson. Watson said Tuesday that the order from the governor came, partly, as a shock – and it came as Austin was rolling out […]
homelessness
Posted inCity Council
Council OKs purchase of site for new homeless navigation center
City Council voted 8–3 on Thursday to purchase a commercial property on South Interstate 35 to serve as the city’s first housing navigation center for people experiencing homelessness, following hours of debate and neighborhood opposition. The votes against the purchase came from Council members Marc Duchen, Zo Qadri, and José Velásquez. The 1.39-acre site at […]
Posted inCity Hall
Data issues cause city to dismiss downtown shelters operator
The city will not renew its contract with Urban Alchemy to manage two key downtown homeless shelters following the discovery of improper data handling by the nonprofit’s staff. The Homeless Strategy Office confirmed the contract will end on Sept. 30 and that another service provider, Endeavors, will assume operations under an emergency contract. According to […]
Posted inCity Council
Council rejects resolution to target youth homelessness funding
A resolution aimed at prioritizing youth homelessness funding failed at City Council on Thursday following extended debate over budget process and policy flexibility. Staff from the Homeless Strategy Office expressed concern that the proposal, even softened from its original form, could restrict their ability to adjust investments based on the needs shown by real-time data […]
Posted inAustin
City, DAA among partners for new homelessness task force
The Downtown Austin Alliance and the city of Austin have launched a new task force aimed at reducing homelessness in the downtown core. Formally convened on Aug. 6, the Downtown Homelessness Task Force will meet through the end of the year to develop strategies for reducing the number of people entering homelessness and increasing successful […]
Posted inHousing
Housing plan advances to Council as concerns grow over federal funding cuts
The Community Development Commission stopped short of endorsing the city’s annual federal housing funding plan at its meeting last week and instead used the opportunity to raise alarms about how looming federal budget cuts could worsen the city’s homelessness crisis. The FY25/26 Action Plan, which outlines the use of roughly $14 million in federal housing […]
Posted inBudget
City staff identify $101M in funding needs to address homelessness in Austin
Ahead of this month’s budget workshops, city staff have released estimates that it will take more than $100 million in additional funding to sustain and expand the local homelessness response system as the expiration of federal pandemic relief aid approaches and long-term capital and service demands continue to grow. The memo from Homeless Strategy Officer […]
Posted inHousing
Roughly 3,200 people experience homelessness in Austin on any given night
Just over 3,200 people in Austin and Travis County slept in tents, shelters or cars on one night in January. That’s about 800 more people, or a 36% increase, compared to 2023, the last time a homeless count was done. Cities and towns that want to qualify for certain grants are required by the federal […]
Posted inAustin
Homelessness strategy plan calls for $101M in spending from city, partner groups
Austin’s Homeless Strategy Office is proposing a funding package totaling just under $101 million for homelessness response efforts in the city’s next budget, with about one-third allocated toward maintaining existing programs, one-third for new city investments, and one-third for initiatives expected to be funded by partner organizations. The spending plan laid out in a presentation […]
Posted inAustin
Downtown Commission looks at partnerships, philanthropy to address homelessness
The city is establishing new partnerships with homelessness relief organizations and could announce new philanthropic partners later this month, while continuing to improve programs already in place to address the needs of the area’s growing homeless population. The most recent meeting of the Downtown Commission featured a presentation from the Homeless Strategy Office that highlighted […]
Posted inHousing
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 of people experiencing homelessness. At its latest meeting, City Council’s Public Health Committee reviewed the […]
Posted inParks
Encampment cleanup efforts could cost $1.2 million for dedicated team
Austin may establish a dedicated, in-house team to conduct regular cleanups at encampments across the city’s park system. That’s the recommendation laid out in a memo from three department directors in response to a City Council resolution last year calling for increased litter mitigation efforts in city parks. The creation of a special cleanup team […]