AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Several Austin City Council members are proposing a new strategy aimed at helping residents who are facing homelessness - starting with four priority areas across the city.
District 5 council member Ann Kitchen posted the "HEAL Initiative" on the City Council's online message board over the weekend, which is scheduled to be taken up for consideration at the February 4 Council meeting.
HEAL, which stands for Housing-Focused Homeless Encampment Assistance Link, calls on City Manager Spencer Cronk to connect people experiencing homelessness to housing-focused services and supports, "including social, health, behavioral health and substance use services as needed."
In addition to Kitchen, council members Leslie Pool, Sabino 'Pio' Renteria, and Mackenzie Kelly have signed on as co-sponsors of the plan.
The proposal comes as Council this week will consider purchasing two hotel properties in order to house those experiencing homelessness, and as pressure increases on the Council to fix a homelessness strategy that Mayor Steve Adler himself has acknowledged "is not working."
The first phase of Kitchen's HEAL proposal would focus on four priority locations, which are only generally described in the draft resolution. These include "a location in South Central Austin, at a major intersection under a state highway overpass, on a traffic median that separates traffic flow with a raised curb adjacent to a pedestrian walkway; in East Austin, on a sidewalk or public easement adjacent to or leading to a public library; along a major arterial through the Central Business District; and in northwest Austin, at an intersection adjacent to significant vehicular and pedestrian traffic."
For each of the four priority locations, City staff would work to identify and develop "low barrier solutions that most immediately provide housing or shelter appropriate to the needs of the individuals" living in each encampment. Once the initiative has completed its work at each location, camping would once again be prohibited in those areas. That, according to the draft resolution, would require further Council action, potentially as early as February 18.
The resolution also calls for at least $3 million in funding to fund housing solutions, support services, and transitional services.
Once the first phase is complete, the resolution directs the City Manager to work with community input to identify camping locations to include in a second and third phase of the program.
