AUSTIN (KXAN) — More than 3,300 people used Austin homeless shelters last fiscal year, according to the City of Austin. It’s a record-breaking number.
Both the City of Austin’s Homeless Strategy Office and Housing Department briefed Austin City Council Tuesday on overall efforts to shelter people experiencing homelessness, whether that be for the short or long-term.
“The fact of the matter is we don’t have the luxury of choosing if we want to go all in on more shelters or more housing – we need both. And I’m really proud of the fact that we’re making strides in closing the gaps in our system,” Austin’s Homeless Strategy Officer David Gray said.
The Marshalling Yard
The clock is ticking on 300 of the city’s shelter beds at the Marshalling Yard, which was intended to be a shelter only temporarily. The city is now halfway through its contact with a service provider operating the shelter at that facility.
Gray said if that contract were to expire when initially planned, the Homeless Strategy Office would need to start phasing people out of the Marshalling Yard this summer.