Austin 'very underserved' with shelter beds, City details plans to fix the problem
AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin has the lowest number of beds compared to people experiencing homelessness out of all other big cities in Texas - as well as, Philadelphia, Nashville and Seattle, according to the city's Homeless Strategy Division.
The department presented these findings to the Downtown Austin Alliance (DAA) in the alliance's monthly safety forum Thursday morning. Los Angeles was the only city on the list with a lower ratio than Austin.
According to that presentation, Austin has 39 beds per 100 people experiencing homelessness.
"We are very underserved in terms of the number of shelter beds available for people experiencing unsheltered homelessness," said Bill Brice, Sr. Vice President of Investor Relations with the DAA.
The presentation highlighted the following needs, among others, when it comes to resources for people experiencing homelessness in Austin:
- More beds
- Shelters in varied geographical locations around town
- More options for specialized shelters
- System that helps track and manage bed count
- More wraparound services
- Staff training
City leaders also mapped out the following preliminary recommendations regarding bringing such resources to Austin:
- Explore feasibility of getting more beds through rehabilitation, acquisition or capital development
- Partner with private funders, the business community and charities to increase return on shelter investments
- Establish a centralized shelter access process supported by a system-wide bed management tool
- Establish diversion programs at all shelter locations
- Invest in a highly skilled shelter workforce
"All extra resources around housing definitely helps," said Antony Jackson with We Can Now, an advocacy group that provides outreach to the city's unsheltered population.
Brice said the Homeless Strategy Division will provide an update in July.