AUSTIN, Texas – The Austin City Council will consider opening a new homeless shelter at the City Council meeting on Thursday.
- City may open new homeless shelter
- Discussions began at start of 2019
City Council members held a work session Tuesday to discuss many items ahead of the meeting. Members met in executive session to discuss possible locations for the shelter.
"There's lots of things at play here with not enough money. It's this unsheltered population that we are trying to help and get them off the streets and into housing quickly,” said Ann Howard, with Ending Community Homelessness Coalition.
Discussions about opening a new shelter began at the start of the year. In January, the ARCH began the process of looking to update its contract. The center could see some changes in operations, including wages and contract length.
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"We had built [the ARCH] to serve 100 people and yet, last year, it was serving 230," she said.
The shelter is part of Austin's strategic plan to address homelessness, which was identified as a top priority of the Austin City Council.
"We know it's a problem we need to get ahead of," said Councilwoman Ann Kitchen, who spearheaded the effort.
The shelter will likely serve 50 to 100 people. It will provide a safe place during the day and overnight, and bridge the gap between those in need and service providers.
"The bottom line is we are talking about a housing focused shelter, which means the place, plus the necessary services, so people can get into permanent housing. The two go together," said Kitchen.
City manager Spencer Cronk will be tasked with developing the scope of services, like personal storage solutions, the option for allowing pets, and developing a housing exit strategy. If it's approved, Cronk can begin negotiating on a property and presenting his results to the council later this month.
To read more about the resolution, visit the City of Austin website.