City of Austin gives update on work being done to address homelessness
Published: Thu, 05/11/23
City of Austin gives update on work being done to address homelessness
The City of Austin is continuing work that addresses homelessness. On Tuesday the City’s Homeless Strategy Division hosted a virtual quarterly update to share what’s being done.
(Photo: CBS Austin)
CBS Austin
by Paige Hubbard
The City of Austin is continuing work that addresses homelessness. On Tuesday the City’s Homeless Strategy Division hosted a virtual quarterly update to share what’s being done. (Photo: CBS Austin)
AUSTIN, Texas — The City of Austin is continuing work that addresses homelessness. On Tuesday the City’s Homeless Strategy Division hosted a virtual quarterly update to share what’s being done.
A lot of ground was covered during the conversation and those attending not only got a chance to hear what the city is doing to support the unhoused, but they also had an opportunity to share their input and give feedback.
The City of Austin’s Homeless Strategy Officer Dianna Grey says on any given day, there are probably more than five thousand people dealing with the struggles of being unhoused.
“We have a lot of barriers to housing stability,” said Grey.
To help those exiting homelessness, the city has over 1,000 housing units under construction or poised to break ground in the pipeline.
“I think that one of the things we often overlook is that most of the people who enter homelessness actually experience homeless for a relatively brief period of time and are able to self-resolve or get back to housing with a bit of support," said Grey.
During a homeless strategy update Tuesday afternoon Walter Moreau with Foundation Communities spoke about the Balcones Terrace Apartments, one of the latest supporting housing communities. The local non-profit recently bought an extended-stay hotel and is in the process of renovating it into 123 apartment units.
During a homeless strategy update Tuesday afternoon Walter Moreau with Foundation Communities spoke about the Balcones Terrace Apartments, one of the latest supporting housing communities.
“We thought we would be open right now but construction like everywhere in Austin is taking longer so we’ve got two or three more months,” said Moreau.
One portion of the meeting focused on work being done in the community to assess the shelter system. Findings show the City of Austin is currently low on shelter beds. Right now, only one in five people facing homelessness have access to a bed.
“And that of course means we have many, many people who are unfortunately living on the streets,” Grey said.
To see how improvements can be made, community stakeholders have been speaking with those who are homeless, service providers, and other key players to shape experience-based solutions. Leaders say community engagements have been key in finding solutions that will help the homeless community. The initiatives touched on in this report are just some of the works being done.
To learn more about other efforts, click here.