Latest news with #MattMollica
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Austin releases "point-in-time" homeless count results
The Brief Austin releases its 2025 point-in-time count of unhoused people in the city Volunteers counted a total of 3,238 people: 1,577 unsheltered and 1,661 in shelters The city says it still needs $100 million in homeless funding AUSTIN, Texas - The city has released its point-in-time (PIT) count report, which is an estimate of the number of unhoused people on a single night in Austin. The Ending Community Homeless Coalition, or ECHO, publishes the report. By the numbers Overnight, between January 25 and 26, more than 600 volunteers set out to count people living in tents, cars, abandoned buildings, and on the streets. The PIT count is federally required every other year. Volunteers counted a total of 3,238 people. 1,577 of those were unsheltered, and 1,661 were in shelters. The numbers are likely an undercount, because it was only from one night. Those without homes who were in jail that night are also not counted. 561 people answered the survey, 13 percent of whom were veterans. 44 percent were homeless for the first time, and 68 percent became homeless in Austin-Travis County. A heat map shows homelessness becoming more spread out throughout the city. There are about a thousand more homeless people counted compared to 2023, but 600 more people are in shelters. What they're saying "There are real limitations, but it is a really good data point for us to understand our unsheltered population in the community," Matt Mollica, executive director of ECHO, said. "We've been making a concerted effort to get people indoors and get them into shelter," David Gray, homeless strategy officer for the city of Austin said. Dig deeper The city still needs $100 million in homeless funding. Much of the COVID-19 pandemic-era federal funding has been used up. "The problem with our system is that it's too small. It's like a 15-passenger plane trying to serve 500 passengers, just not enough seats," Gray said. That $100 million price tag includes lots of services. "That's everything from homeless prevention to keeping people housed to adding more shelter beds so we can triage people's needs all the way to rapid rehousing and permanent supportive housing," Gray said. Vocal Texas calls on city of Austin to provide better resources, affordable housing for homeless Proposed Texas law would crack down on cities not enforcing state homeless camping ban Marshalling Yard temporary shelter funded through September 2025 "To pick up some of those costs, this is going to be a real community-wide effort, both when it comes to who's delivering the services and who's funding those services," Mollica said. Gray says per person, in the first 30 days of homelessness, it costs about $1,500 to $3,000 to stabilize a person. Over 15 or 20 years, that can turn into $35,000. "That's why we're making a big push to try to keep people housed or at least address their needs before they become chronically homeless because it's a huge savings to the city but more importantly it means that somebody doesn't have to spend many nights on the street," he said. What's next ECHO says it takes several months to do the report because they have to undo duplicate counts, get shelter numbers, and group data by demographic. The Source Information in this report comes from the city of Austin and interviews/reporting by FOX 7 Austin's Angela Shen.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Inside Austin's Agenda: Addressing homelessness in our city
AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Wednesday's Inside Austin's Agenda episode, host Grace Reader will sit down with Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) executive director, Matt Mollica. $350M over 10 years: Austin City Council votes to prioritize homelessness spending They will discuss the recent Point-in-Time count, a resolution Austin City Council just passed that will make homelessness a top financial priority for the city of Austin, and recent research on homelessness published by ECHO. The episode comes during a winter cold snap that is potentially deadly for people living outside. The last major cold snap Austin experienced in January resulted in at least 12 cold exposure calls, including two 'fatal incidents,' according to Austin-Travis County EMS. You can watch the episode and every other at the top of this article, on Facebook, and YouTube. Inside Austin's Agenda goes live every other Wednesday afternoon. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
City of Austin prioritizing funding for homeless response
The Brief City of Austin said it is committed to finding funding to tackle homelessness According to a resolution, the city needs about $350 million over the next 10 years AUSTIN, Texas - Austin City Council held its first meeting of the year. One of their commitments is finding funding to tackle homelessness for the next decade. The backstory Austin City Council passed a resolution directing the city manager to look at funding sources. According to the resolution, the city needs about $350 million over the next 10 years. "We need our federal and state partners on board as well. This is a community-wide crisis that will take the entire community to solve," Matt Mollica, executive director of ECHO, said. American Rescue Plan funding, also known as the COVID stimulus package, is encumbered. The city also needs to work through which programs use other federal funding sources and how what's happening in Washington will affect that. "Even with the confusion at the federal level regarding our grant funding and funding programs and offerings at the federal level, it really underscores why the time is critical now for us to act," Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes said. The resolution says the cost for funding rapid rehousing and emergency shelters is about $15.4 million per year. Austin has a higher rate of homelessness than other cities. "Unfortunately, the number of people entering our system outpaces the number of people exiting," Fuentes said. State Sen. Sarah Eckhardt (D-Austin) says she's brainstorming options. "We should look at all state properties within the city of Austin and within Travis County that would be appropriate for repurposing or co-locating deeply affordable housing," she said. Local perspective Alfredo Reyes of Vocal Texas shared his story. His first step off the street came after hearing about a cold weather shelter. "I'm a U.S. veteran, and I was homeless for seven and a half years. For most of that time I slept on a bridge near the airport," he said. "I got connected with services. I got rapid rehousing, then got a voucher and I got housing. Then I got a job with Vocal Texas, and now I'm moving into my new house on February 1." Reyes hopes others can get help like he did. "I'm one of the lucky ones. You know, there's a lot of other people out there on the street. It's hard to find help when you need it," he said. The Source Information from Austin City Council meeting
