AUSTIN, Texas — Multiple hotel properties purchased by the City of Austin have been sitting unused, waiting to serve as supportive housing for the unhoused.
Some neighbors say there's been little to no movement, and it's attracting crime.
Rupal Chaudhari owns two businesses near the Pecan Gardens project, which used to be a Candlewood Suites hotel. That property is still waiting to be turned into a shelter.
She said she found out from the newspaper that this was happening and said it's still creating problems for neighbors.
"We were seeing people throwing bikes off the fence, and they damaged our fence. There was so much going on. It took four days for the City to respond," Chaudhari said.
City leaders have already had to approve a $500,000 contract for extra repairs at Pecan Gardens. Now, there are concerns that same situation is happening at another property.
The Texas Bungalows property was formerly a hotel, but for the past two years, it has sat vacant as the City plans to turn it into permanent supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness. Boards cover the windows, and chains and locks line the fences.
Residents and business owners near these vacant properties say they're a target for vandalism and other crimes.
This month, former Austin mayoral candidate Jennifer Virden tweeted photos of the property sitting vacant.
A spokesperson for the City's Housing and Planning Department told KVUE they haven't seen significant vandalism there, but localized flooding in April caused water damage on the first floor.
The City approved buying the Bungalows property for $6.7 million in January 2021 to turn it into a 60-unit supportive housing development. In 2022, leaders approved using $1.3 million to renovate it.
So, what's the holdup now? The Housing Department said crews need to complete foundation repairs before they can actually start the interior renovations. Those repairs are set to start this month.
But Chaudhari worries these properties will continue to sit vacant. She has concerns about what that will mean for the neighborhood.
"They don't talk about anything – like, who are the people? Will there be any background checks? They don't talk about any of those, and they don't involve the community in this conversation," Chaudhari said.
She's hoping the City will take these concerns into consideration, to help the neighbors around them and to help the unhoused population get any help they need.
Full Q&A with the City of Austin
- When did the City buy the property? The City of Austin completed the purchase of the building in August of 2021.
- What was it purchased for? The property will be converted to Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH), a type of rental housing serving people exiting homelessness. PSH combines deeply affordable units and comprehensive social services that help keep people stably housed.
- Why has it been sitting? As the tenants will be supported with a housing voucher provided by HACA, the federal requirements include a subsidy layering review to be approved by HUD prior to any rehabilitation work beginning. HUD provided this approval in September 2022. However, foundation repair must be completed before other significant renovation work can commence. The foundation work is slated for June through August 2023.
- Plans for the area? This will be a 60-unit Permanent Supportive Housing development managed by Integral Care. Tenants will be people living with a disability who are exiting long-term homelessness. Integral Care will provide robust on-site social services, tailored to people who may benefit from behavioral health services. Permanent Supportive Housing has long been shown to be the most effective method for providing housing stability for the chronically homeless population, especially those living with mental health or substance use disorders.
- Response efforts to the vandalism? No significant vandalism has occurred. Localized flash flooding that occurred on April 20, 2023 resulted in water damage to the first floor, which will be addressed along with other renovations.
- Cost to repair? The contract with Integral Care for the renovation of the property to convert it to PSH is $1,364,210.