Latest news with #StateoftheHomelessnessResponseSystem
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
$100M: Austin mayor responds to skepticism about homelessness spending
AUSTIN (KXAN) — There are several numbers floating around about how much the city of Austin may need to spend on homelessness: From the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition's estimate that $350 million is needed to build out Austin-Travis County's homelessness response system in the next 10 years, to an even more recent estimate from Austin's Homeless Strategy Office that the city is roughly $100 million short next fiscal year to respond to homelessness the way it hopes to. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson admits, he understands some skepticism from the community about how much the city needs to spend on the issue. 'I think when I came in, there was a whole lot of talk about, well, 'what's this number, and what's that number?' And 'I thought we were going to do this.' And I think people were skeptical. It's been slower than I would like, and I so I understand skepticism in that regard, but now I think we have the plan from our Homeless Strategy Officer, who's doing a very good job,' Watson said. The city is not proposing it spends $350 million on homelessness and then $100 million on top of that. So let's break down how the city got to each of those numbers: The $350 million estimate comes from the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO)'s State of the Homelessness Response System report. It looks at the entire community — including private partners, the city of Austin, the state and federal government and Travis County — and what it would need to meet demand over the next decade. ECHO said the number of additional shelter or housing units required to 'meet functional zero' over the next 10 years includes: 550 new emergency shelter beds 2,355 rapid re-housing units 4,175 permanent supportive housing units Altogether, building out those beds or units alone could cost the city an estimated nearly $350 million. The breakdown is as follows: $24,399,259 for emergency shelter beds over the next ten years $104,473,188 for rapid re-housing $217,411,093 for permanent supportive housing In response to that report, Austin leaders approved a resolution committing to prioritizing homelessness spending in its next budget cycle. 'What I have said from the very beginning is, I want to hear what others predict or others speculate we'll need, or others in their expertise tell us we need,' Watson said. In an Audit and Finance Committee and Public Health Committee joint meeting last month, David Gray, the city's Homeless Strategy Officer, said his office has identified $101 million in funding needs for fiscal year 2026 to address homelessness at the capacity the city wants to. Austin's homeless strategy office identifies $101 million needed for new strategies to address issues 'About a third of these considerations are current one-time funding that we believe council should consider for ongoing investment,' Gray said. 'A third is new investment considerations for the city, and a third is new investment considerations for our homeless response system partners.' Watson pointed to Gray's analysis as being the number he would like the city to base its current budget discussions around. After all, he said the Homeless Strategy Office was created to do this very work. 'We in the city of Austin now have a Homeless Strategy Office that we have charged with the responsibility of putting together the plan, and it's now a detailed, thoughtful, appropriate plan, and therefore that's who I want to turn to,' Watson said. He later added: 'We'll take the data, we'll take the information from others, but it's going to be us that makes those final decisions.' The city of Austin is already working through its budget for fiscal year 2026, which won't be voted on until this fall. The city also has a bond advisory commission working through a possible November 2026 bond package that could include funding for homelessness. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
At least $350M over 10 years: Austin City Council to vote on homelessness spending
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Thursday, Austin City Council is expected to vote on a resolution that could make homelessness a top financial priority for the city. The resolution could direct the city manager to increase spending starting with the Fiscal Year 2025-26 budget. 'I am really proud that one of the first items that we'll take up on Thursday at our first council meeting is prioritizing investments in homelessness. That includes having additional funding for shelter, for housing and prevention,' Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes said. Fuentes is the chair of the Public Health Committee which unanimously voted to send this item to the full dais. The resolution largely does the following, according to Fuentes' team: Explore new and lasting funding sources to replace expiring federal funds, including American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars Invest significant funding into emergency shelters, permanent supportive housing and rapid rehousing Expand prevention and diversion programs You can read the full resolution here. If passed, the city manager will be asked to bring an update back to the Public Health Committee by March. In that update, the city will also be asked to identify one-time funding needs versus ongoing expenses. In November, the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) presented modeling for Austin's homelessness response system to that same council committee — including how many shelter beds and permanent housing units the city may need over the next decade. ECHO said the number of additional shelter or housing units required to 'meet functional zero' over the next ten years includes: 550 new emergency shelter beds 2,355 rapid re-housing units 4,175 permanent supportive housing units Altogether, building out those beds or units alone could cost the city an estimated nearly $350 million. The breakdown is as follows: $24,399,259 for emergency shelter beds over the next ten years $104,473,188 for rapid re-housing $217,411,093 for permanent supportive housing You can find ECHO's full State of the Homelessness Response System report here. Council members are also expected to discuss proposed amendments to the resolution, including several from Public Health Committee Member Ryan Alter. That includes working on an American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) update for future budget conversations. 'Adding a couple things to identify, first and foremost, the ARPA cliff that is coming and really understanding what programs that we have been operating via ARPA dollars, do we think we should continue to operate and if so, how we're going to fund those in the upcoming budget,' District 5's Austin City Council Member Ryan Alter said during last month's Public Health Committee meeting. Alter also asked the city manager to put forward a plan around how the city may accomplish its goal of building enough permanent supportive housing units to meet demand. Those units often take years to build and are expensive both in the short and long term, Alter said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
