With sufficient funding now in place, a new 212-bed Salvation Army shelter in East Austin for families experiencing homelessness will be able to open at last.
The Rathgeber Center, at 4613 Tannehill Lane, debuts at a time when Austin city leaders, the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce and other organizations and nonprofits are continuing their efforts to tackle homelessness in the region.
Shelter officials anticipate moving the first families from the Salvation Army’s downtown Social Services Center at 501 E. Eighth St. into the Rathgeber Center in February.
The shelter has secured $2.2 million in funding, which will allow it to operate from February through September. The Salvation Army will continue its fundraising efforts to raise $4.7 million for the shelter to operate in its next fiscal year that starts Oct. 1.
The $12 million shelter is named for its primary donors, Austin philanthropists Dick and Sara Rathgeber, who contributed land and money for the project. The Rathgeber Center is the Salvation Army’s third shelter in Austin and brings its total number of local shelter beds to 535.