Austin residents push back against proposed homeless center

• The center has housed hundreds of clients and served almost 100,000 meals last year from South Austin's Sunrise Community Church on Menchaca Road.

State of play: The Austin City Council will vote in early October to buy the land and could then lease the site as a homeless navigation center, homeless strategy officer David Gray tells Axios.

• A navigation center helps people experiencing homelessness obtain basics like food, water, hygiene resources, clothing, health care access, medication storage and a mailing address.

Zoom in: Gray tells Axios the aim is to settle on a site that "serves our clients while also addressing community concerns and hopes and aspirations."

• He says the advantage to a city-owned site — as opposed to the current one at the church — is that the area can be better regulated.
• Plus, the Southbridge shelter is a short walk away, Gray says.
• The property is valued at $3.11 million, according to the most recent appraisal from the Travis County Appraisal District.

What they're saying: "We have a real gap in housing navigation services in Austin. By connecting people with services faster and more effectively, we can drive better outcomes for the entire community," council member Ryan Alter, whose district includes the current location of the Sunrise center, said in a June statement announcing the relocation.

• Mark Hilbelink, executive director and lead pastor of Sunrise, tells Axios via email that the organization "is excited" that Austin is again "investing in the full spectrum of what it takes to move people from homelessness to housing and avoiding homelessness altogether."
• "These are important, strategic steps to help our community reduce the total amount of people living unsheltered in our community, which is a goal everyone can get behind," Hilbelink writes.

The other side: William B. Travis High School is walking distance from the proposed location. "The 'real risks' are not hypothetical — they are drawn" from people affected by the center's current location, per a website titled "Travis Heights at Risk."

• The creators of that website don't identify themselves (beyond "Created by Morgan M.") and don't include contact information.

• Some residents also launched a petition arguing against its relocation, highlighting its proximity to elementary schools and a residential neighborhood.
• "While we support compassionate solutions for individuals experiencing homelessness, you're taking this from a wealthier neighborhood and schlepping it and pasting it on top of poor and immigrant communities," Matt Stolhandske, a homeowner who lives near Oltorf and I-35 and who launched the petition, tells Axios.

Flashback: Paxton sued the center last year "for operating as a common nuisance in violation of Texas law" and said his office's investigation found that the center was a "magnet" for drug and criminal activity.

• The center remains open and the case is ongoing.

Zoom out: There are 3,238 people without homes or living in emergency shelters or transitional housing, per the city.

What's next: On Wednesday from 6 to 7pm, the city will host a virtual town hall about the proposed move.

• If the plan is approved by the City Council, the city would buy the property and lease it as a navigation center as early as next spring.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to remove mention of a meeting with city officials at Travis Heights Elementary. That meeting won't take place as planned.