City to expand shelter capacity for people without housing

The city is increasing homeless shelter capacity to accommodate 130 more people, according to a Tuesday news release. Rooms at the Northbridge and Southbridge shelters will be converted from single-bed units to double-bed units, the city says. New beds are expected to be available at Northbridge by June 13, and the city hopes to expand Southbridge capacity sometime next month. The expansion of emergency shelter capacity comes as Austin hopes to provide permanent housing for 3,000 residents by the end of next year. “If we want to live up to our reputation as a compassionate city, we need to do everything we can to help our least fortunate neighbors who are sleeping on our streets and in our creeks. That includes short-term solutions like expanding our shelter capacity and long-term solutions that address the root causes of homelessness,” District 9 Council Member Zo Qadri said in a statement. For more information, go to austintexas.gov/homelessness.