AUSTIN, Texas — On Thursday, members of the Austin City Council approved two separate items to help address homelessness in the city.
The first plan enacted consists of a $20 million contract that will be divided among four groups to clean up encampments throughout Austin over the next five years.
The groups are Enterprise Professional Services, The ICCS Academy, Kyle Lawn Works and The Other Ones Foundation.
Max Moscoe, who is part of The Other Ones Foundation (TOOF), explained that the group's role will be to offer people experiencing homelessness work through the foundation's Workforce First program. Anyone participating must be at least 18 years old and will earn $20 per hour and be provided free food and transportation to the work site.
The foundation also offers opportunities for unhoused people to be introduced to other resources and programs.
"We are happy to help people in encampments keep their space clean and never remove anything without their permission," Moscoe said.
The contract was set to be voted on in May but was pulled from the agenda after Councilmember Mackenzie Kelly (District 6) questioned the credentials of one of the groups that was originally considered. That group was not part of the contract that was approved on Thursday.
Councilmembers also moved forward with a plan that would convert the City-owned facility the Marshalling Yard – located on Airport Commerce Drive near the intersection of U.S. 183 and State Highway 71 in southeast Austin – into a temporary emergency shelter. The new shelter will have 300 beds, which will be available for one year.
However, the new warehouse the City will use as its shelter is behind a neighborhood, concerning some residents.
Zac Richard has a clear view of the facility from his front porch and said it is the best case scenario for a bad situation.
"I don't believe it's actually going to have any greater negative impact than what we're already seeing," Richard said. "The homeless people are here. I mean, they're already in close proximity. There's not much that can be done other than give them an established place to actually shelter."
Austin's Homeless Strategy Officer explained that there is currently only one bed available for every five people experiencing homelessness in Austin.
The new emergency shelter is set to open Aug. 1.