The Austin Police Department has for months continued to direct homeless individuals to a camping site that has been closed to new residents, leaving people with no legal place to find shelter while staying with their belongings. At Wednesday’s meeting of the Downtown Commission, APD Commander Eric Fitzgerald delivered a report about safety issues in […]
homelessness
Posted inHousing
Supportive housing institute to push 550 new units toward city goal of 1,300
The city’s goal to build its way out of its homelessness crisis will get a boost next year from six local organizations going through training from one of the national leaders in creating supportive housing for the homeless. Last week, the Corporation for Supportive Housing announced it is teaming up with the Texas State Affordable […]
Posted inAustin
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 – in the Housing-Focused Encampment Assistance Link, or HEAL program, have left the program with […]
Posted inTransit
Advocates continue the fight for free transportation for Austin’s unhoused
The start of Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s monthly board of directors meeting yesterday had a different feel than usual. Typically, a few speakers may approach the podium to speak in support of or against an item on the agenda. Yesterday, however, advocates and members of Austin’s unhoused community packed the Rosa Parks Boardroom to implore Capital Metro to […]
Posted inCity Hall
Kitchen seeking more funding to house the homeless
It’s budget time, and although City Manager Spencer Cronk’s team has put together its proposed budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year, each City Council member will be presenting their ideas for making the city a better place in the form of budget amendments or riders. Council Member Ann Kitchen has presented the first budget rider […]
Posted inCity Council
City faces tough choices in managing homeless shelter
City officials were not satisfied with the way the nonprofit organization Front Steps was running the homeless men’s shelter at 500 E. Seventh Street commonly known as the ARCH. Officials notified the organization that all contracts with Front Steps would be discontinued by Sept. 30, according to a city spokesperson. After deciding to end its […]
Posted inHousing
Council approves permanent supportive housing in Hancock
City Council Thursday unanimously approved a rezoning for Cady Lofts, a project that will bring 100 homes for people experiencing homelessness to 1004-1008 E. 39th St. in the Hancock neighborhood. The project includes studio units in a 3- and 4-story building complete with on-site services for residents in a setup called permanent supportive housing. The […]
Posted inHousing
Hotel industry rebound pinches city’s acquisition strategy to solve homelessness
The city may have to shift away from its strategy of converting hotels and motels into temporary and permanent supportive housing sites for the homeless, due to a rebound in the lodging market that has raised prices and cut down on available properties. Tuesday’s City Council work session included a progress report from homeless strategy […]
Posted inZoning
Hancock project to house the homeless sails through Planning Commission
The Planning Commission unanimously supported a zoning change Tuesday that would allow the construction of housing for people exiting homelessness in the Hancock neighborhood. A group of affordable housing developers hopes to rezone three lots at 1004-1008 E. 39th St. to Multifamily-Moderate Density (MF-4-NP) in order to build 100 units of permanent supportive housing, an […]
Posted inAustin
Staff seeks to build a better way to manage homeless encampments
City staffers are making a series of changes to the management of homeless encampments, with a centralized response and assessment system in the works that is expected to become operational later this summer. City Council’s Public Health Committee received a presentation Wednesday detailing the current state of work to break up and manage the homeless communities […]
Posted inZoning
Montopolis project gets Council go-ahead
City Council approved a rezoning Thursday that will bring affordable housing for women and children experiencing homelessness to the Montopolis neighborhood. The rezoning from Family Residence (SF-3-NP) to Multifamily-Moderate Density (MF-4-NP), which Council approved on all three readings, will allow approximately 75 homes on a 3-acre site at 1013 and 1017 Montopolis Drive. Twenty percent […]
Posted inAustin
Tight rental market increasing wait times for city efforts to house the homeless
The city’s tight rental market is causing some delays in efforts to find housing for people who have recently been removed from homeless encampments as part of a program launched last year targeting those gathering areas around the city. At last week’s meeting of City Council’s Public Health Committee, Homeless Strategy Officer Dianna Grey revealed that […]