City of Austin launches homeless encampment surge Monday
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AUSTIN (KXAN) — Starting Monday, the city of Austin launched a homeless encampment surge, which is scheduled to last for roughly three weeks, according to a memo from Director of Austin Homeless Strategies and Operations David Gray.
According to the mayor’s office, the city’s preliminary numbers on the first day of that initiative were as follows:
- 88 sites or encampments checked
- 59 people contacted
- Three arrests
- One life saved by the Austin Police Department through CPR
- Six people connected to services
- One person accepted shelter
“HSO is initiating a city-wide coordinated effort of outreach and homeless encampment
management that will leverage a variety of social and health services, and manage an orderly,
humane, and strategic process of encampment decommissioning,” Gray wrote.
Gray said the city is doing it now to get people out of risky spaces ahead of the fall and winter, which can have more severe and dangerous weather conditions. The city is also concerned about heightened fire danger right now.
An internal communication about the initiative, provided to KXAN, said the city will focus on the following moving forward:
- Week 1: Freeways, frontage roads, high-traffic corridors, and adjacent alleyways and
pedestrian/bike trails - Week 2: Certain street levels, neighborhood parks and playgrounds, public library campuses and recreation areas
- Week 3: Large greenbelts and parks that pose major wildfire risks
“Multiple City departments are assigning staff to one of 12 crews working across three geographic zones in the City. The City is also stopping general intake at City-owned shelters to devote to this initiative,” that document said.
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