In 2018, the Downtown Austin Community Court helped a group of 59 people experiencing homelessness who accounted for 1,556 open cases bring the number down to seven.
Officials say the figure shows the court’s efforts to lower recidivism rates for people who are homeless, who compose a large portion of the court’s docket, are working — at least for those who accept and engage in its services.
The court handles low-level, Class C misdemeanor offenses such as public intoxication or disorderly conduct that happen in Austin’s downtown core, West Campus and East Austin near Interstate 35 and Lady Bird Lake.
“Our focus is really around individuals experiencing homelessness,” said Court Administrator Peter Valdez. “That’s our priority group, (but) we still encounter college students or people visiting that might get a Class C misdemeanor while they’re here.”
Valdez said the effort is not new, but 2018 was the first time the court tracked outcomes for people experiencing homelessness before and after they accepted services through the agency’s intensive case management program. It focuses on people in long-term homelessness with substance abuse problems or mental health issues.
Valdez said the goal of the court since it was established in the late 1990s has always been to connect people who are chronically cited for low-level offenses get help, rather than fines or jail time.
People are directed to the court either through a citation, walking in to request services or through the Homeless Outreach Street Team, a partnership among the court, Integral Care and Austin police that specifically deals with homelessness and mental health issues.
“Every morning we meet individuals who were cited for a quality of life offense in our jurisdiction. They are brought in to see the judge and the prosecutor, who adjudicate their offense in a way that’s nonpunitive and doesn’t damage their potential to successfully move on in life,” said Operations Manager Robert Kingham. “A lot of people we deal with are individuals experiencing homelessness, so we don’t want to create any additional barriers for them while they’re trying to address the challenges that they encounter while they’re on the street.”