The Other Ones Foundation/Camp Esperanza-Glimmer Partner
AUSTIN (KXAN) — It has now been one year since Texas Governor Greg Abbott gave his blessing for people experiencing homelessness to camp on a five-acre property off of a frontage road in Southeast Austin.
This camp is a visible vestige of the heated debate between the state and the City of Austin over how to best address homelessness. Regardless of the vitriol the camp was born out of, residents tell KXAN they are now starting to get more of the services they need and that they have a new vision for how they want the camp to be.
Over the past several months, residents, with some help from an Austin nonprofit, have voted on a new name for their home: Esperanza Community. The residents eagerly pointed out to KXAN that “esperanza” means hope in Spanish.