AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- City of Austin officials say work to create a second bridge shelter for people leaving homeless encampments continues at a central Austin hotel, with an expected opening date in August.
The hotel, which had been previously used as a protective lodge for those needing to isolate during the COVID-19 pandemic, will provide 55 rooms to add to the city's growing stable of housing for those who are unsheltered.
“We’ve said all along we will not lose sight of the need to create real solutions to help people get back into permanent housing, with the services they need to stay there – but we also recognize the immediate need for a safe place to sleep until that happens,” said City of Austin Homeless Strategy Officer Dianna Grey. “The creation of a second bridge shelter, and efforts to increase the community’s emergency shelter capacity, demonstrate our commitment to providing alternatives for people experiencing homelessness in Austin.”
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The announcement of a second bridge shelter follows last month's opening of the city's Southbridge shelter, at a hotel the city purchased in south Austin. That property, which features 75 rooms, has had about 20 individuals from an encampment at the Terrazas Library in East Austin placed, with additional encampments set to be targeted under the city's HEAL Initiative. City leaders say they expect Southbridge to be fully occupied by the end of July.
In a memo to council members Thursday, Grey provided an update on the efforts to identify locations for sanctioned encampment sites across the city. Out of a list of 78 city-owned sites that were initially under consideration, only two sites remain viable after a site suitability evaluation process. According to city staff, the two sites are expected to cost approximately $1.3 million and $1.6 million to operate each year.
For now, the city is not identifying the two locations, pending an analysis of whether rezoning would be required and how long that process might take.