The plan is intended to provide a roadmap for targeted investments and measurable outcomes in the city’s homelessness response.
AUSTIN, Texas — The city of Austin’s Homeless Strategy Office has released a strategic plan outlining its priorities through fiscal year 2027. The plan, presented during a city council work session on Tuesday, is intended to provide a roadmap for targeted investments and measurable outcomes in the city’s homelessness response.
“It’s how we will build on what’s working, scale what’s proven, and stay accountable to measurable results,” said David Gray, director of the Homeless Strategy Office.
According to city officials, the plan has been in development for eight months, but it will need additional revisions before council members can sign off on its adoption.
Gray said that although the city has made notable progress in recent years, additional goals still need to be established.
“We’ve learned a lot about how to achieve success. We’ve also learned about where some of our pitfalls are, and all that information goes into our strategic plan, which serves as our roadmap for how we’ll move forward over the next two years,” he said.
The plan focuses on five major areas: system leadership, impactful community investments, crisis response system management, communications and “invest in our people.”
Some proposed actions include:
Securing new public and private fundingImplementing a citywide outreach coordination planExpanding shelter capacity by 650 bedsEstablishing two housing navigation centersProducing an annual reportLaunching quarterly townhall meetings for providers and stakeholders
Gray explained that this approach will help staff create effective policies and programs for the homeless community while ensuring taxpayers see a return on their investment. He emphasized that the main goal is to help people move from homelessness into stable housing.
“When we talk about adding shelter beds or permanent supportive housing beds or navigation centers, all of those are different strategies to help get people connected to the services that they need to get into housing and to keep that housing,” he said.
Gray said some aspects of the plan are already underway, including the launch of the city’s Homeless Encampment Management Dashboard.
“Elements of those plans are already occurring,” he said. “And so once adopted, our goal will be to accelerate the rest of the plan.”
Council members asked the office to strengthen portions of the plan, including providing more detail on mental and behavioral health initiatives and offering a deeper analysis of permanent housing investments.
City officials expect to return to council in late March with an updated version of the plan, which they hope will be ready for adoption.