City of Austin Council Message Board

I want to thank the Mayor and others for broadening the conversation about service delivery to individuals who are living in camps throughout the city and on the streets.

It is time for the community to re-think the delivery of services to people who call the streets of Austin home. In my opinion there is a need for transitional housing and space for partner agencies to co-locate. The location must be able to provide a complex array of onsite services and supports to stabilize and assist individuals become self-sufficient. Services must be available after regular hours and the innovative model could provide facilities for individuals to take a shower and/or wash and dry their belongings.

The Austin State Hospital property has the ability to provide the space for a creative, holistic service delivery model that will relieve the pressure on the current location, provide necessary transitional housing and more importantly respond to the concerns of individuals who live on the streets.

My thoughts,
Oh

Thank you, CM Houston, for these ideas.
I note that, before Travis County's proposal to acquire the old federal courthouse was approved recently, the feds considered applications from homeless organizations; the federal government has prioritized these housing needs when federal properties come available. I wonder if we could talk with our State legislative delegation along these same line: discuss the possibility of reserving some portion of the ASH property to provide transitional housing and associated, needed services, for those who live on the streets, as you suggest. Sen Watson has talked publicly about targeting future use of the State Hospital grounds for mental health-associated purposes; it seems to me that your idea of transitional housing there could be a good fit as part of that conversation.

Regards,

Leslie