SOURCE: AUSTIN AMERICAN- STATESMAN
City leaders on Tuesday called for unity, understanding and action as Austin struggles with how to best address homelessness.
During a panel discussion in front of packed pews at Central Presbyterian Church, Austin Police Chief Brian Manley, Austin’s interim Homeless Strategy Officer Veronica Briseño, and Downtown Austin Alliance’s Vice President of Investor Relations Bill Brice discussed the impact of new city rules allowing panhandling, camping and sleeping in public.
Council members voted late last month to rescind previous measures that prohibited sitting or sleeping in public places and panhandling. The old rules, social advocates said, essentially criminalized homelessness and left those living on the streets without any options for where to go.