Designating spots where people who are homeless can camp or sleep in their cars is not the answer to reducing Austin’s homeless population — at least that’s the message from Austin’s City Manager Spencer Cronk to the Austin City Council.
Effective July 1, the City Council lifted restrictions on where homeless people can camp, sit down or sleep.
At the same time, the council members asked Cronk to explore finding at least 10 locations where people would be allowed to camp safely. They also wanted to know if there could be parking areas across Austin where people could sleep in their cars.
The resolution also asked the city manager to propose reasonable limitations on when and where camping will not be allowed.
In a memo responding to these requests, Cronk and his team said: “The Homeless Strategy Office will respectfully not bring forth recommendations for authorized encampments nor options for parking areas.”
The memo cited different studies that advised significant caution when authorizing camp sites or places to sleep in cars. It said, instead, the city should focus on “Housing First.”
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