(Credit: KLBJ staff)
The City of Austin is moving forward with an overhaul of operations at the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless in downtown. The ARCH has been a source of great debate over the years due to a variety of issues, including the large number of people who can be found hanging out in front.
During a Wednesday meeting of the Downtown Commission, representatives with Austin Public Health rolled out some plans to get people into and out of the shelter with more efficiency. One of those ideas involves mitigating loitering at the front door.
“Exterior changes that will reduce the tendency for loitering out in the front. Some kind of architectural or elemental design,” said Adrienne Stirrup with Austin Public Health.
Anotehr effort will involve the creation of a secondary entrance to allow people to visit the community care clinic without having to first enter though the ARCH’s fron door.
Those who stay at the ARCH has traditionally been given beds through a lottery system that is first come, first serve. Another aspect of the overhaul involves doing away with the lottery system with the hopes that fewer people will line up on the sidewalk trying to get one of the beds before they are all gone.
“There has to be some change because the lottery system is just not working. It contributes to folks standing outside because, you know, I want to be in the place to be to get a bed,” Stirrup said.
