The City of Austin on Tuesday said it has closed a homeless camp in the West Bouldin Creek area. A total of 72 people and approximately 15 pets were relocated from the camp to the city-owned Southbridge shelter as part of the Housing-Focused Encampment Assistance Link (HEAL) Initiative.
HEAL carries out the closures of homeless encampments that pose the highest public health and safety risks. Preparation for the closure has included doubling capacity at the City’s Southbridge Shelter to accommodate additional HEAL program participants.
The encampment has been formally declared closed, and a work zone has been designated while an extensive cleanup process is underway. The clean-up effort, which is expected to take several weeks, is being organized by the Parks and Recreation Department with substantial support from Austin Resource Recovery, the Austin Police Department, and a private contractor.
“The HEAL Initiative gives us a concrete way to combat homelessness in our community and provide the resolution of unsheltered encampments that pose the greatest risks for the community,” said City of Austin Homeless Strategy Officer Dianna Grey.
Since HEAL began in June of 2021, 618 people have voluntarily moved from high-risk encampments to the City’s Southbridge and Northbridge shelters.
