AUSTIN, Texas — A new year means Austin City Council is back in action. The first work session of the year included an update on homelessness in Austin.
In a memo to council on Friday, staff wrote that “2019 was a year of transition” for how the city works internally and with outside agencies in helping the homeless.
Staff said it plans to create a Homeless Services Division within Austin Public Health. This would serve as a hub for homelessness-related activities and city efforts. It would also help allocate resources in accordance with the City’s priorities.
Austin Resource Recovery presented at the city council’s work session on Tuesday. The director spoke about storage options that could be a possibility.
“One of the things that we hear from time to time is that homeless people need somewhere to store their things when they go look for jobs, when they go search for employment at various locations,” said Ken Snipes, the director of Austin Resource Recovery. “It gives them a place where they have peace of mind that their things are going to be safe and be there when they return.”