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The city of Austin announced the possible sites amid efforts to relocate homeless residents from camps, such as the one above at Ben White Boulevard and Menchaca Road, to safe shelter. (City of Austin)
The two sites are city-owned, public transit accessible and meet most of the criteria put forward by council members, according to a recent memo. One site is located near the Mueller development in Northeast Austin, while the other is in Southwest Austin off of MoPac. They will require rezoning to allow for the installation of micro shelters that can house people on site.
Northeast Austin site
The recommended site at 3511 Manor Road in District 1 on the East side is close to the Mueller development, which offers retail amenities, as well as bus lines and the public trails. It also offers a front entrance that could provide effective site control and up to 20 covered parking spaces, which could serve homeless people living in their cars. There are some challenges associated with the site, however, including wildfire risk and an existing structure that is unusable due to a material asbestos used.
(City of Austin)
Southwest Austin site
The other recommended site at 4011 Convict Hill Road in District 8 in Southwest Austin also offers access to amenities and bus lines within a 15-minute walk as well as space for portable restrooms and showers. Its challenges include fire mitigation requirements and its distance from the city center.
Reimplenting the camping ban
Council revisited the idea of sanctioned camps in May after city voters approved Proposition B, which reinstated a local ban on public camping, among other activities. But when staff presented 45 potential site options later that month, members pushed back, citing concerns about cost, lack of transparency and wildfire risk.
The city moved ahead with a multi-phase Prop B reimplementation plan, prompting concerns that homeless residents were being forced out of camps with nowhere else to go legally or safely.
Phase 3 of the plan began on July 11, with Austin police able to make arrests in situations where homeless people refuse to vacate camps deemed dangerous, such as those in flood-prone areas or near busy roads.
Although police officials have stressed that their goal is voluntary compliance rather than arrest, there isn't enough shelter capacity or transitional housing supply to meet current demand.
"(W)e want to be clear with the community that while we are investing in additional crisis beds, like so many other cities working to actively end chronic homelessness, there will not be enough immediate shelter for all unsheltered Austinites," Homeless Strategy Officer Dianna Grey said in a July 14 press release.
Staff will brief council about the two recommended sanctioned campsites at a work session next week and could begin to gather stakeholder feedback related to the properties next month, including community meetings.
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(Laura Figi/Austonia)
Police feel caught in the middle, tasked with enforcing the ordinances but lacking any clear guidance to offer those impacted. "The elephant in the room … is providing a viable location for folks to be able to go," Community Engagement Lieutenant Lawrence Davis told the public safety commission on Tuesday.
Nearly 58% of Austin voters supported Prop B—a city code amendment to reinstate bans on public sitting, lying, camping and panhandling in certain parts of downtown, near East Austin and West Campus—during the May 1 election.
Austin City Council directed staff to identify possible locations for temporary sanctioned camps in each council district in May. But council members pushed back against the options presented to them and failed to issue clear guidance before their annual six-week summer recess, which ends later this month.
For now, Austin police will issue citations to homeless individuals who have already received written warnings for violating the ordinances. Homeless individuals who refuse to vacate camps that have been deemed dangerous, such as those in flood-prone areas or near highways, may be arrested.
As of July 1, police have recorded a 21% reduction in tents and identified 290 homeless residents who are willing to comply with the ordinances voluntarily so long as there is a place for them to go.
(Downtown Austin Alliance)
Meanwhile, city staff are working to expand existing shelter capacity, which has been constrained by pandemic protocols, which could see more than 300 beds open by mid-August, according to a July 1 memo.
In addition, the city opened the Southbridge Shelter on June 15, a former ProLodge that is now reserved for homeless individuals who lived in camps and are waiting for permanent housing. Approximately 20 individuals from the Terrazas Library camp are living at the shelter, which has 75 rooms. The city has also renewed the lease of a second ProLodge shelter using American Rescue Plan Act funds and expects it to open in early August, after repairs are completed.
Staff will next update the council on July 22, including identifying potential temporary campsites. Members mostly pushed back when staff proposed 45 potential sites, citing concerns ranging from transparency, costs and wildfire risks.
This attitude has prompted pushback. Bill Brice, vice president of investor relations for the Downtown Austin Alliance, chastised Austinites who supported Prop B but now refuse sanctioned camps, shelters or homeless housing in their neighborhoods. "Community members cannot have it both ways," he said at the same public safety commission meeting.
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