AUSTIN, Texas — The city’s new homeless encampment management initiative connected dozens of people to shelter and services while removing hundreds of tons of debris from encampment sites from May to June, according to a city memo.
The Homeless Encampment Management and Street and Community Outreach program, which launched May 11, conducted 456 site visits across 127 distinct encampment locations between May 11 and June 5, Austin Homeless Strategies and Operations Director David Gray said in the memo to the mayor and city council.
The initiative involved efforts from the city’s Street and Community Outreach and Public Space Management teams, who engaged with homeless individuals, assessed their needs and connected them to available resources before and during site cleanups…