Galveston Beach in 2019.
While many universities across the country—Yale University, Georgia Institute of Technology and Rice University to name a few—have canceled or shortened spring break to mitigate the threat of COVID-19, most Texas universities are carrying on as planned.
Since Gov. Greg Abbott did away with statewide COVID-19 restrictions, just days before spring break week, Galveston officials said they saw a massive crowd kicking off spring break weekend on Saturday. A pandemic taboo, tens of thousands flocked to the famous spring break destination, Galveston Beach, to relax.
It wouldn't be the first time, spring breakers have gathered despite a pandemic. Last year actually brought the most people to the Galveston Beach than some past years, says Chief Peter Davis of Galveston Island Beach Patrol.
Davis said he is expecting large crowds, though it is still too early to tell how many beachgoers are expected on the island.
"We were packed Saturday—I mean, the island was completely full," Davis told Austonia on Monday. "I think we had bumper-to-bumper traffic for probably five or six hours in the afternoon."
Davis said for the past two years, Galveston has had 7.2 million visitors, so the conversation of keeping people safe has been ongoing since before the pandemic even began.
Beaches have always been a popular spring break destination for college students. And for local university students, the drive up to Galveston is just over three hours long.
The University of Texas at Austin did not change the spring break schedule, though they recommended students get tested one to three days before traveling and after, quarantining for ten days if not. But the university, ultimately cannot control what students do during their break.
Although weekend crowds draw in anywhere from 250,000 to 500,000 people, Davis said the beach is actually probably one of the safest places for people to go.
"I think the beaches are back into popularity again. It kind of waxes and wanes but I think we're seeing a surge of interest in going to the beach (with COVID putting) limitation on other types of recreation," Davis said. "They all come basically down the same highway, go to the same gas stations and restaurants and they all funnel through, so the beach itself might be fairly easy to stay distant and to kind of maintain those precautions."
There are still a few weeks in the spring break season, Davis said, and with a lot of vacation areas, they can't regulate as easily, like Airbnb rentals and less populous beaches, keeping people safe is difficult. Davis said he expects the crowds to get rowdy, but he is glad that they have been safe so far.
Beachfront Business General Manager Charlie Rightly said being on the beach, business has been pretty steady for him. Since the restaurant is an open-air patio, they let customers decide whether or not they want to mask.
"Everybody's pretty spaced out and everything (on the beach)," Rightly said. "The city's doing a lot of that by just implementing where they put out the umbrellas."
And aside from taking COVID precautions, Davis mentioned not to swim alone and be careful of rip currents as you swim—believe it or not, there is more danger at the beach than just catching a deadly virus.
- Texas teachers now eligible for COVID-19 vaccine - austonia ›
- McConaughey to showcase Texas talent in winter storm benefit ... ›
- University of Texas to rename building, keep 'Eyes of Texas' - austonia ›
Popular
(Community First! Village/Facebook)
The two-phase expansion will add 1,400 micro homes and 127 acres between two pieces of land—one across the street from Community First! Village on Hog Eye Road in far East Austin and the other on Burleson Road in Southeast Austin—with development starting in summer 2022. The land purchases were made possible thanks to a donation commitment from Love, Tito's, the philanthropic arm of Tito's Handmade Vodka. (Disclosure: Tito's is an Austonia sponsor.)
Mobile Loaves & Fishes has operated Community First! Village, which Austin Mayor Steve Adler has coined as "Austin's most talked about neighborhood," for more than five years. During that time, the social outreach ministry has paid out more than $3 million to residents, who make and sell art and maintain the village.
The expansion consists of Community First! Villages third and fourth phases and will more than triple its size and sextuple its current number of homes, from 240 to 1,900 total. In addition to the coming micro-homes, the village also includes RVs and canvas-sided cottages.
Amber Fogarty, president of Mobile Loaves & Fishes, said the expansion announcement is proof that there is hope despite the city's ongoing homelessness crisis. "We realize there's an intensifying conversation happening in our city right now as it relates to homelessness, and for some it may seem like a dismal situation," she said in a statement. "It brings us great joy to think that today's expansion news means we will bring home many more of our friends who are currently suffering on the streets of Austin."
As residents prepare to vote on a controversial proposition that would reinstate a ban on camping and other activities in parts of the city, Adler said Community First! Village is "a vital and important piece of the puzzle" when it comes to addressing homelessness in Austin and praised Mobile Loaves & Fishes founder and CEO Alan Graham for his vision.
To be eligible to live at Community First! Village, applicants must be chronically homeless, meaning they have lived in a place unsuitable for habitation for at least one year and have at least one qualifying disability; have lived in Travis County for at least one year; and have the ability to pay rent, through social security income, disability benefits or on- and off-site work.
Tim Shea has lived at Community First! Village for five years, after three decades of intermittent homelessness, heroin addiction and incarceration. After living in an RV, he became the first person in the country to move into a 3D-printed home, furnished by the Austin-based construction technology company ICON. "I am loving it," he said, citing its high ceilings, big windows and solidity as his favorite features.
The expansion plans are welcome news to Shea. "I'm not surprised," he said. "I just know that more people need to know about it."
- How Austinites and businesses will vote on homeless camping ban ... ›
- Photo essay: Austin's homeless camps amid COVID, cleanups ... ›
- Boomtown Austin has first series of 3D-printed homes in east ... ›
Homeless residents gather an at a camp under an overpass in South Austin. (Jordan Vonderhaar)
Editor's note: These submissions are the unedited views of their authors. Claims made have not been fact-checked to give the proponent and opponent a chance to speak their minds freely.
Pro: Voting yes on Prop B sends a message to council that voters' voices and real solutions are paramount
In June 2019, the Austin City Council rescinded regulations on camping in public spaces. They did so without any serious public discussion and in fact appeared to actively avoid serious scrutiny. The resulting chaos is clear for all to see. Parks and playgrounds impacted by illicit behavior, lewd activities in public, trash strewn in waterways and public spaces, and most critically, assaults on the public and on other homeless individuals.
It is obvious that the homeless are not helped by this misadventure. Vulnerable women and youth in these camps are abused, mentally ill individuals are not served and there is no incentive for substance abusers to seek help.
Proponents of this mess have put forward no credible plan for any short term housing that restores safety—instead they talk about abstract housing concepts that even they acknowledge will take years to develop. This is the mark of narrowly focused activism, not what citizens should expect from elected leaders who promise to serve their communities. At every turn, the proponents of this chaos have demonstrated that they are not capable of fully considering the needs of diverse communities and proposing workable solutions. Instead they simply double down on trying to tell Austin that anything other than their chaos is heartless and inhumane. This is intellectually lazy, and Austin should demand better.
The chaos created by the City Council has resulted in a public outcry culminating in the citizens demanding to be heard by direct ballot. This demand is across the political and economic spectrum. As a co-founder of the Save Austin Now PAC and a lifelong Democrat, I have seen the diversity of people raising their voices in concern for our city.
It's time we turn this situation around and vote yes on Prop B. It sends a clear message to the council that the citizens of Austin must be heard as we work toward real solutions. There are successful models to learn from and some in our own state. But it all starts with voting yes on Prop B starting April 19.
Con: Prop B blames homeless individuals rather than providing solutions to societal problems
Austin's homeless population needs help, but Prop B doesn't do anything to solve our city's problems. It simply tells people who are experiencing homelessness that they cannot exist, visibly, in public space. I, too, am worried about the encampments. They are evidence that our strategies to help people return to housing aren't sufficient. But telling people "You can't stay here" without giving them alternatives isn't a solution.
The reason so many people are experiencing homelessness is that it takes a long time to get into housing, even when you do everything right. Shelters are at capacity, we lack deeply affordable housing, landlords can refuse housing vouchers, and housing programs are full.
As a case study, I want to tell you about "Bill," whom I met two years ago. Bill was a veteran, father, former truck driver and person of faith. He was also homeless and unsheltered. Bill had recently suffered a series of strokes and was desperate for both disability income and housing.
Bill and I worked together every single week for 17 months. He eventually was awarded disability and moved into his own apartment.
Bill's situation is typical of hundreds of people who are stymied by our complicated processes and lack of housing. Prop B would not add resources for people like Bill. Read the ballot language. Because Prop B bans "camping," people would have to move around constantly to avoid being cited. All that moving around takes time and energy. People like Bill would have a harder time keeping their appointments with case managers. Unpaid fines from citations build a criminal record—and landlords can choose not to rent to someone with a record. So punishing people for not having housing makes it even harder to get housing. Prop B hurts, not helps.
In this election, Austinites have a choice to criminalize people like Bill or to work toward solutions. Prop B places the blame on individuals rather than recognizing homelessness as a failure of society.
Prop B is an inhumane and wrong response. Oppose Prop B, and let's focus on solutions. Learn more here.- Austin Mayor Steve Adler says camping ban 'is not working' - austonia ›
- Calls, counts and camps: Homelessness in Austin by the numbers ... ›
- Austonia's guide to the May 1 local election - austonia ›
