The Austin area Non Profit Save Austin Now says it has sent in to the Austin City Clerk’s office their official petition vying for a public vote to reinstate the local No camp, sit, lie and panhandling ordinances.
Save Austin Now’s Matt Mackowiak says they’ve been able to collect more than 24,000 signatures and have privately verified about 23,000 are from Austin registered voters. They only need 20,000 to see it moved onto the May ballot for a public vote.
Mackowiak says Austin City Council’s decision to rescind their homelessness laws have done more harm than good. “We believe this will restore safety to our city, we actually believe this will be good for the homeless. They need to be in homeless shelters and transitional housing.”
However Save Austin Now is being opposed by homeless advocacy group Homes not Handcuffs. That group’s Chris Harris says, to reinstate the homeless ordinances is counter productive. He says, before the the changed the rules, if a homeless person was tickited or fined for sleeping on the street it would likely end with them spending time in jail, and having that on your record is a definite impediment to getting a job or finding a rental unit.
Harris says both groups agree, the homelessness situation in the city is bad, but he feels spending city resources and time through a law enforcement solution wont fix it. He says housing and services, are the only path forward.
