The City of Austin has moved 23 people living at the underpass at Highway 183 and Oak Knoll into temporary shelter today.
The north Austin encampment marks the fourth and final location for Phase I of the council-approved Housing-Focused Encampment Assistance Link (HEAL) initiative. Since June, 143 homeless people have been moved into shelter through the HEAL initiative.
“The HEAL Initiative opens an important door for people who have been living unsheltered for far too long,” said Homeless Strategy Officer Dianna Grey. “To move from an encampment to a secure, private room has an immediate and dramatic impact on their health and safety, and their ability to focus on their next steps.”
For 2022, the council budgeted $6 million to house another 200 individuals for Phase Two of the HEAL initiative. The Homeless Strategy Division will be working with partners to identify the next several priority encampments based on health and safety. The goal is to begin work on Phase Two HEAL sites this fall.
“What we are learning from these first few months of work will strengthen our overall response and effectiveness going forward,” Grey said.
