AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin City Council has agreed to allow shelter operations to continue at the Marshalling Yard warehouse.
On Thursday, the council approved an extension that will allow the shelter to stay open until March 2025. The warehouse has been used as a means of additional housing for people experiencing homelessness since July 2023.
“The Marshaling Yard Emergency Shelter provides compassionate care to 300 clients daily, and the rate of clients exiting the shelter successfully continues to climb,” Austin’s Homeless Strategy Officer David Gray said. “In partnership with Endeavors, we are continuing to improve and expand services offered at the shelter, allowing us to make a positive impact on hundreds of lives daily and meet the immediate needs of many experiencing homelessness.”
According to the council, the shelter has a yearly goal of serving 800 people experiencing homelessness and has served 596 individuals to date, with over four months remaining on the initial 12-month contract term.
People who access the shelter have access to daily transportation services, three meals per day, pet-friendly onsite boarding and pet food, onsite laundry services, onsite showering facilities, wellness activities and a patio for outdoor activities.
The eight-month extension will cost $500,000, for a revised total agreement amount that won't exceed $9.64 million. The initiative is funded through money from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) designed specifically to address emergency shelter and crisis services.