Tag Archives: homelessness
As Covid numbers improve, city eyes increasing homeless shelter capacity
As Covid-19 infections and other public health indicators related to the pandemic continue to improve locally, City Council members want advocates for the area’s homeless population to look at increasing capacity at shelters around the city. At a recent joint…
Public Health • By Chad Swiatecki • Mar 14, 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
APH launches three phases of solicitations to increase homeless services
Austin Public Health is seeking partners in social services to help provide for the city’s unhoused community. This winter and spring, APH’s Health Equity and Community Engagement Division is working with the Homeless Strategy Division to release three phases of…
Public Health • By Willow Higgins • Feb 17, 2022
Church leaders praise city, county for committing fed funds toward homelessness
Leaders from 50 religious organizations around Travis County have praised the work of city and county leaders who have dedicated more than $200 million toward ending homelessness in Central Texas. In an online forum on Tuesday, leaders of congregations from…
Austin • By Chad Swiatecki • Dec 17, 2021
Moving encampments off public streets has made it more difficult to provide medical support to Austin’s unhoused
The camping ban set back years of progress local emergency services made in serving people experiencing homelessness, making it harder and more expensive to respond to an increase in emergency calls, according to a top emergency services official. The ban…
EMS • By Samuel Stark • Dec 14, 2021
Student commission prepares to tackle affordable housing crisis
On Nov. 5, the College Student Commission voted to create a working group to study the city’s affordable housing crisis, specifically as it affects students. “I think that anyone who’s living here in Austin knows, we do have an affordable…
Housing • By Jackie Ibarra • Nov 29, 2021
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New collaborative hopes to address equity gaps in Austin's response to homelessness
Austin has consistently struggled to get people living outdoors into homes. Part of that failure lies in the city’s unprecedented real estate boom and affordability crisis over the last 10 years. Another reason is that people of color, who are overrepresented among…
Public Health • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Nov 23, 2021
City starts second phase of homeless housing plan
The city’s push to move at least 200 people out of homeless encampments and into permanent housing began earlier this week, with 15 people living in the Slaughter Creek floodplain in South Austin receiving assistance and temporary housing. The effort…
Austin • By Chad Swiatecki • Nov 18, 2021
Advisory council provides a voice for people experiencing homelessness
In the ongoing discussions about solving homelessness in Austin, it’s rare to have people actually experiencing homelessness included in the conversation. That’s the mission of the Austin Homelessness Advisory Council, a group of Austinites who are currently experiencing or have…
Austin • By Anna Kate Browne • Nov 8, 2021
Committee reviews homelessness spending report
As previously reported, City Council issued 47 resolutions, ordinances and other directions related to assisting the city’s homeless population between September 2018 and May 2021. The result was a budget of $179 million for homelessness assistance between 2019 and the current…
City Hall • By Jo Clifton • Oct 28, 2021
City sees details of homelessness strategy, with push to raise $115M
City Council learned in detail Thursday how its $210 million in federal aid, bond funds and other allocations will be used to address and possibly end homelessness over the next three years. The presentation by Homeless Strategy Officer Dianna Grey…
Austin • By Chad Swiatecki • Oct 22, 2021
Meeting lays out plan for ARPA funds allocated to alleviate homelessness
On Monday, the Homeless Strategy Office hosted a community meeting to discuss the proposed spending plan for the American Rescue Plan Act funds directed toward helping the homeless community in Austin. The city intends to invest $106.7 million from ARPA…
