City’s violet bins help homeless store belongings

A new city program provides secure storage for those who have precious possessions yet lack homes of their own. With the Violet KeepSafe Storage program, people who are referred by the Homeless Outreach Street Team or the Downtown Austin Community Court are assigned a 96-gallon violet bin located in the HealthSouth parking garage in downtown Austin. Ken Snipes, the director of Austin Resource Recovery, said in a news release, “This operation is all about investing in the health and dignity of our neighbors experiencing homelessness … offering a storage bin and a lock does more than alleviate physical burden or fear of theft. This service builds trust and lines of communication between our institutions and the people who rely on them to build a better life.” Assistant City Manager Chris Shorter added, “This is important for anyone going to a job or job interview but who may not want to show up with a shopping cart or a rucksack or backpack full of their personal effects. … Our plan is to add additional sites and carts across the city. We are expanding citywide and will be able to serve hundreds more.”’