Tag Archives: Austin City Council Public Health Committee
Salvation Army’s handling of downtown shelter closure draws Council criticism
The Salvation Army’s handling of the closure of its downtown shelter was the target of criticism at City Council’s Public Health Committee meeting on Wednesday. Critiques came from Mayor Kirk Watson, members of City Council, and clients of the shelter…
Housing • By Nina Hernandez • Mar 9, 2023
City, Central Health eye partnership for homeless respite care facility
The city may soon begin talks with Central Health and homelessness service providers focused on creating a permanent health care facility to aid those experiencing homelessness in recovering from significant illnesses and injuries. The state of respite care for the…
Planning • By Chad Swiatecki • Oct 10, 2022
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…
Austin • By Chad Swiatecki • Sep 12, 2022
City explores harm reduction strategies to address the overdose crisis
The Texas Harm Reduction Alliance addressed the Public Health Committee last week about the overdose crisis in Travis County. More than 300 people in the area died of a preventable overdose last year, and more than 100 of those deaths…
Public Health • By Willow Higgins • Jun 15, 2022
Draft resolution targets opioid epidemic
City Council is set to consider a resolution this week that would declare opioid overdoses a public health crisis and increase support services needed to address the issue. Members of the Public Health Committee, all of whom are co-sponsoring the…
Public Health • By Willow Higgins • Jun 14, 2022
HAAM seeks $1M from city to provide health care for musicians
The Health Alliance for Austin Musicians is seeking $1 million from the city to help maintain health care coverage for 3,000 local musicians and cover an additional 1,000 who qualify for assistance from the nonprofit. During a presentation at last…
Music & Entertainment • By Chad Swiatecki • May 16, 2022
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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…
Austin • By Chad Swiatecki • May 13, 2022
Public Health Committee hears update on $11 million child care investment
Staff members leading city and county efforts to expand child care services gave City Council’s Public Health Committee an update last Wednesday on the impacts of last year’s budget cycle. Last summer, Council approved the investment of $11 million in…
Education • By Kali Bramble • Apr 18, 2022
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…
Austin • By Chad Swiatecki • Apr 18, 2022
Health leaders developing plan to help those with substance use disorder
For the past two years, a network of local stakeholders has been thinking about how best to help community members who struggle with an addiction to drugs or alcohol. After two years of “planning to plan,” representatives from the Travis…
Public Health • By Willow Higgins • Mar 17, 2022
Austin looks into opening a trauma recovery center
Austin’s Public Health Committee is taking a look at establishing a trauma recovery center in the city to help victims of violent crime navigate their way to recovery. The resolution, which the committee passed last week, directs city staff to…
Public Health • By Willow Higgins • Mar 15, 2022
HEAL Initiative for the unhoused turns one year old
About a year has passed since Austin City Council adopted the HEAL Initiative, which is designed to connect houseless people living in encampments to housing or shelter and supportive services. The Housing-Focused Encampment Assistance Link, or HEAL as it is known, is…
Austin • By Willow Higgins • Feb 22, 2022
