Despite the expenditure of millions of city and federal dollars, and the fact that Austin’s efforts are frequently cited as best practices in other cities, homelessness is still on the rise here. Ann Howard, executive director of the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition, told the Austin Monitor on Wednesday that she does not yet have the […]
homelessness
Posted inAustin
City audit says Austin doesn’t effectively help people get out of homelessness – or measure progress
A new audit of the homelessness service providers in Austin says the city doesn’t always hold providers accountable. The report from the City Auditor found nine of the city’s largest contracts in 2017 met city benchmarks for service only about half the time. The audit is the final part of a four-part review of the […]
Posted inAustin
Council wants more cooperation, action at watershed homeless sites
City Council members sitting on the Health and Human Services Committee told city staff last week they want more urgency and cross-department team work in the execution of a new pilot program to clean up homeless encampments located in the city’s watershed. Recently the Watershed Protection Department launched the program at nine sites. The program […]
Posted inAustin
Watershed department works with city to clean up homeless camps
The number of people experiencing homelessness is growing in the city of Austin. Last fall, recognizing the crisis on the streets and the pressure on city resources, City Council approved an increased budget to help relieve the situation. In addition to a new “homelessness czar,” the budget includes funding for the Watershed Protection Department to […]
Posted inCity Hall
City putting high expectations on pending ‘homelessness czar’ position
By the end of this month, the city is expected to name a new “homelessness czar” – or homeless strategy officer in city hiring speak. The new hire will become the point person to coordinate programs from the city and the nonprofit community aimed at relieving the increasingly distressed situation of the city’s homeless population. […]
Posted inCity Council
New city agreement with ARCH would shift focus to housing
The Austin City Council will vote Thursday on renewing the contract for Front Steps, the operator of the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless. The new agreement could bring systemic changes to the city’s homeless shelter. One of those changes would reduce the number of beds from 190 to 130 and focus more resources on […]
Posted inCity Council
Council considering emergency shelter resolution
The number of homeless people in Austin continues to grow, yet shelter for these people has not kept pace, according to data gathered by the city and the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition, or ECHO. On any given day, there were 836 “unsheltered individuals” in Austin last year, with 7,498 individuals experiencing homelessness from 2017-2018. As […]
Posted inPlanning
Waller Creek taxes ID’d to possibly fund $30M in housing for homeless
City staff members have recommended that City Council consider using funds from the tax increment refinancing zone (TIRZ) created for the Waller Creek improvement project and system of parks as the biggest funding source for providing housing and services for the growing homeless population downtown. In a memo issued last week, Interim Assistant City Manager […]
Posted inAustin
People living on the streets can now clean up Austin’s parks for an hourly wage
People experiencing homelessness can now work for the city of Austin. The city’s Parks and Recreation Department, along with Austin Public Health, The Other Ones Foundation and City Council Member Ellen Troxclair, highlighted the pilot program Monday in South Austin. Joe Pacheco, 51, who’s been living on the streets, is currently working for the program. […]
Posted inAustin
City seeks grants, partnerships to implement tech solutions for homeless
The city’s Innovation Office has applied for a $400,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, with the goal of directing the money toward implementing a suite of blockchain technology solutions to help the city’s homeless population. The grant application is the next biggest hope for continued progress for the apps and digital platforms created […]
Posted inPublic Health
Seton offers homeless groups space to address trafficking, services
Nonprofits addressing homelessness in Austin will get some long-sought-after help in steering clients through the area’s network of services designed to get them off the streets and into stable housing. Seton Healthcare Family has announced a new partnership with the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) and the SAFE Alliance, offering some of the health care […]
Posted inAustin
More homes, services on the way for homeless with Community First! expansion
A Northeast Austin community constructed in recent years to provide permanent housing to Austin’s chronically homeless has announced its plans for a second phase that will nearly double its physical footprint to 51 acres and, when complete, serve nearly 800 people. At a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday for the Community First! Village, a mix of […]