Austin, Texas has around a million people living in the city at any given time, and simultaneously there are around 6,500 homeless people also making camp on sidewalks and beneath overpasses throughout the capital city. Right now, there are only beds and shelter space available for about 20% of them.
Besides being home to the Texas capitol, Austin is also the county seat for Travis County, so when you add it all up, there is a ton of government responsibility happening in ATX.
How much does it cost Austin to handle the homeless population?
If you thought having a few children was expensive, according to this KVUE article, the City of Austin’s Homeless Strategy Officer David Gray believes his office will need at least $101 million dollars to properly accommodate the homeless population. Did the math for you, and that averages to a little over $15,500 per homeless person.
Why does Austin believe $100 million is needed to treat homelessness?
Part of the substantial ask is to offset Federal funding that is expiring at the end of this year, but the Homeless Strategy Office is also asking for another two times that amount. About $15.5 million is going away, but the office is requesting the city council budget them an additional $33 million past the $15.5 million that is going away, so they can expand the current services for the homeless.
Smartly, the city council has not authorized spending more of the resident’s tax dollars, and instead believe the best way to get a final answer is to have their constituents vote to raise their own taxes, so then the council can spend more of it.
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