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 approach to provide more immediate housing, the proposal allows the city to buy the land […]
homelessness
Posted inHousing
Apartment owners, managers learn about options for voucher users in housing crunch
Owners and managers of rental properties throughout Austin recently met with representatives from local housing organizations to learn about the options for making housing units available for those at risk of becoming homeless. An Oct. 31 panel organized by the Austin Apartment Association featured representatives from the Housing Authority of the City of Austin, Caritas […]
Posted inCity Council
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 Travis County’s efforts to address homelessness. Council members will vote on the proposal at their […]
Posted inAustin
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 brings a temporary shelter online in the downtown area. John Wittman, the governor’s spokesman, confirmed […]
Posted inAustin
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 of encampments and direct campers to city and county resources for people experiencing homelessness. The […]
Posted inAustin
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 (ARCH) with a friend. He doesn’t camp on a sidewalk, or in front of a […]
Posted inAustin
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 clean up camps under bridges. Spokesman John Wittman says the governor’s decision is meant to […]
Posted inCity Council
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 within 15 feet of a doorway to a home or an open business and within […]
Posted inCity Council
Council finds little common ground on camping ordinance
Still divided over the best way to manage camping in public spaces, City Council will consider an ordinance Thursday that aims to create structure around its policy without reverting to a blanket ban on camping in public. “We’d rather have people be safe than be in the woods somewhere and we’re trying to move people […]
Posted inCity Council
Flannigan attacks, Tovo responds
On Tuesday, in the midst of a lengthy Council work session about how to construct a revised ordinance to prevent homeless people from camping on sidewalks and rights of way, Council Member Jimmy Flannigan launched into an anecdote about how his office had helped a homeless veteran and his partner get housing and other services. […]
Posted inCity Hall
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 role as a consultant, rather than a full-time employee. In a statement Thursday, Pampilo Harris […]
Posted inAustin
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 or lying down in public by the end of the month. The governor’s warning comes […]