AUSTIN, Texas — The city’s new homeless encampment management initiative connected dozens of people to shelter and services while removing hundreds of tons of debris from encampment sites from May to June, according to a city memo.
The Homeless Encampment Management and Street and Community Outreach program, which launched May 11, conducted 456 site visits across 127 distinct encampment locations between May 11 and June 5, Austin Homeless Strategies and Operations Director David Gray said in the memo to the mayor and city council.
The initiative involved efforts from the city’s Street and Community Outreach and Public Space Management teams, who engaged with homeless individuals, assessed their needs and connected them to available resources before and during site cleanups.
During the reporting period, the city connected 35 people to shelter and nine others to supportive services such as behavioral health and housing navigation. However, 44 individuals declined shelter or services when offered, according to the report.
Gray’s office removed 303.62 tons of debris during the period and responded to 852 encampment-related service requests from the public through Austin’s 311 system. The average response time from when a complaint was filed to an initial site assessment was 4.9 days.
The program issued five citations for camping in public areas and four criminal trespass notices. No arrests were made during the period.
Encampments recurred at 28% of cleared sites during the reporting period.
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The city did not provide cost data for the program’s first month of operations. Gray said the department would provide that information in a future update, noting that costs are expected to decrease as the number of large encampments diminishes.