Save Austin Now, the group that pushed for and won an election to make the city enforce a ban on camping among homeless residents, has won a victory at the 3rd Court of Appeals. Save Austin Now filed suit in early 2023 alleging that the city was not enforcing the camping ban, which was reinstated […]
homelessness
Posted inCity Council
Council vows to make homelessness a top financial priority
City Council last week reaffirmed its commitment to tackling Austin’s homelessness crisis, pledging to use a recent data-driven report to guide housing and services investments over the next 10 years. City officials will work with Travis County, service providers and other regional partners to finance upward of $350 million to strengthen the local homelessness response […]
Posted inAustin
ECHO report shows growing mortality rate among the area’s homeless community
The most comprehensive study of homelessness mortality in Austin shows that more than 1,000 people died between 2018 and 2023 with the average age of death falling at 50 years – which is 20 years younger than those living in stable housing. The Bridging for Better Outcomes report from the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) […]
Posted inAustin
What does homelessness in Austin look like in 2025? A new census will shed some light.
Lee esta historia en español On a single night in late January, volunteers from around the city will conduct a census of Austin’s most vulnerable residents, counting as many people experiencing homelessness as possible. This biennial point-in-time count is overseen by Austin’s Ending Community Homelessness Coalition, which hopes to recruit some 1,200 volunteers to canvass […]
Posted inCity Council
City Council approves nearly $7 million to keep Marshalling Yard shelter open
The city of Austin has identified the financing it will use to keep the Marshalling Yard emergency shelter open indefinitely. In September, City Council agreed to keep the shelter in Southeast Austin open until a more permanent location could be identified. Mayor Kirk Watson proposed the extension, saying that without alternative places for people to go […]
Posted inCity Council
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. The recommendation asks City Council to direct the city manager to seek out additional funding […]
Posted inHousing
Austin opens new affordable housing development in Southeast Austin
Lee esta historia en español Just days before Thanksgiving, some older residents have another thing to be thankful for: a safe, affordable place to live. Tucked away in a corner of Southeast Austin sits the city’s newest affordable housing project, Ekos City Heights. The Austin Housing Finance Corporation and McDowell Housing Partners opened the new […]
Posted inCourts
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sues nonprofit that serves homeless in South Austin
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued an Austin nonprofit that serves people experiencing homelessness. The lawsuit accuses Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center of fostering drug use, violence and other activities that endanger nearby residents. Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center has operated out of Sunrise Community Church in South Austin since 2015. Its primary hub at the church provides care for […]
Posted inAustin
Austin is making it easier to open overnight cold weather shelters
The city of Austin is changing how and when it will open cold weather shelters this winter to make shelter more frequent and predictable for people, city officials said. When temperatures dip to near freezing, the city opens overnight shelters for people who are experiencing homelessness, but previously, there were several other criteria the weather […]
Posted inCity Council
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 from losing their homes. City Council’s Public Health Committee met on Wednesday and received a […]
Posted inAustin
Youth homelessness has increased rapidly in Austin, according to nonprofit data
The number of young people experiencing homelessness in Travis County, which includes most of Austin, has risen substantially in the past four years, according to numbers from a nonprofit that tracks the issue. Since 2020, the number of people under 25 years old without permanent housing and not under the care of a parent or […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Community-based public safety program reaches out to overlooked and underserved Austinites
Urban Alchemy, a national nonprofit, has been awarded a $2 million federal grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The grant will expand an initiative to create a replicable model to reduce crime and bolster resilience through community intervention. As part of the program, trained, trauma-informed community ambassadors will be conducting outreach in Central East Austin. […]