Homeless Strategy Office Moves 95 Unhoused Residents from Encampments to Shelters

City of Austin

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Release Date: Sep. 05, 2024
Contact: Chrisola Webb, Public Information Specialist Senior, Homeless Strategy Office Email

HEAL has moved more than 915 individuals from high-risk encampments since June 2021.

AUSTIN, Texas - The City of Austin's Homeless Strategy Office and partner organizations compassionately closed encampments at Stephenson Nature Preserve, Springdale Neighborhood Park, Lorraine "Grandma" Camacho Activity Center, and the West Rundberg neighborhood near the areas of the North Austin YMCA and at Masterson Pass. The City welcomed 95 unhoused residents to the Northbridge and Southbridge shelters as part of the Housing-Focused Encampment Assistance Link (HEAL) Initiative, and 20 others to the Marshalling Yard Emergency Shelter through a separate compassionate encampment intervention.

Through the HEAL Initiative, 17 individuals were relocated to the Southbridge shelter from the Stephenson Nature Preserve. Austin Resource Recovery and the Austin Civilian Conservation Corps cleaned 31,300 pounds (15.65 tons) of trash and debris at the Stephenson Nature Preserve and the adjacent land near a school.

Also, the Homeless Strategy Office and Hungry Hill Foundation connected 21 individuals to the Northbridge and Southbridge shelters from the Springdale Neighborhood Park. Austin Resource Recovery cleared 9,180 pounds (4.59 tons) of trash and debris from the park.

The Homeless Strategy Office resolved persistent vehicle camping by successfully supporting the relocation of four individuals and six dogs from the Lorraine "Grandma" Camacho Activity Center to the Northbridge and Southbridge shelters. One inoperable vehicle was towed after receiving approval from the owner, and no litter abatement was necessary.

A modified HEAL Initiative was performed in the West Rundberg neighborhood near the North Austin YMCA and a few blocks away near the intersection of Masterson Pass and North Lamar Boulevard. Although a fixed encampment was not established, a persistent and mobile unsheltered population was present within the neighborhood. Working in partnership with Urban Alchemy, the Homeless Strategy Office relocated 33 individuals to the Northbridge shelter.

"Closing homeless encampments with compassion means more than just moving people to a different location," said Homeless Strategy Officer David Gray. "It involves a careful plan that treats people with respect, considers their unique needs, and offers them real support. Rather than simply displacing people from one site to another, our approach gives the resources they need to find stability and a real path out of homelessness."

The Austin City Council approved the HEAL Initiative in February 2021. The HEAL Initiative is one element of the City's broader effort to address homelessness and return public spaces to their intended uses. Since HEAL began in June of 2021, over 915 individuals have moved from high-risk encampments to the City's Northbridge and Southbridge shelters.

In a separate community intervention that was not affiliated with the HEAL Initiative, the Homeless Strategy Office, Integral Care, the Austin Parks and Recreation Department, and the Austin Police Department collaborated to address an emerging encampment at the Parque Zaragoza Recreation Center. Through extensive outreach, 20 individuals voluntarily moved from the recreation center and the surrounding neighborhood to the Marshalling Yard Emergency Shelter.

To learn more about the Homeless Strategy Office, please visit www.austintexas.gov/homelessness

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