Northwest Austin Edition | November 2022

NEWS BRIEFS

News from Austin & Williamson County

County celebrates completion of 200th voter-approved road project

City homelessness initiative progressing

CLOSING A GAP Most of the $515 million needed to support a citywide homeless housing effort has been secured through October.

BY SUMAIYA MALIK

BY BEN THOMPSON

identify the needs of the growing population, according to officials. “There’s one thing to plan, but the hardest part—and I give our trans- portation department’s Bob Daigh and his team so much credit—is to actually get the roads on the ground,” Precinct 4 Commissioner Russ Boles said.

On Oct. 18, Williamson County Commissioners Court recognized CR 200 in Liberty Hill as the 200th road project completed under the voter-approved road bond program. “Voters have seen that need and have said yes to these projects,” Precinct 3 Commissioner Valerie Covey said. Williamson County had a total of four successful bond elections in 2000, 2006, 2013 and 2019. Using funding from the bonds, the county has completed safety and mobility projects in unincorporated areas of the county as well as in cities through partnerships with the Texas Department of Transportation and the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority. The need for the roads was first recognized in 1999 when the commissioners court adopted its first Long-Range Transportation Plan to

A half-billion-dollar plan to house thousands experiencing homeless- ness is moving closer to its fundrais- ing goal. Finding Home ATX, a partnership among local governments, nonprof- its, businesses and philanthropists, started last year following a com- munity summit aimed at curbing unsheltered homelessness in Austin. Finding Home leaders announced in November that $449.14 million of the estimated $515 million total needed to house 3,000 people and develop more than 1,000 new affordable housing units over three years—87.21%—has been or is expected to be secured. “We are on track to ending home- lessness in the city of Austin,” Mayor Steve Adler said Nov. 2. As of last October, FindingHome had secured just under $400 million of its total goal. After raising nearly

Austin: $227.59 million Texas: $91.64 million

Travis County: $56.8 million

$515 million

$50 million more since then, the program now has a funding gap of $65.86 million to be filled by private sources—less than 13% of the overall total. “Personally, I think you lose the right to complain about homeless- ness in this city if you’re not going to be part of the solution to ending it,” Adler said. Private sources: $49.79 million Housing Authority of the City of Austin: $21.92 million Homeless service providers: $1.4 million Funding gap: $65.86 million SOURCE: FINDING HOME ATX/COMMUNITY IMPACT

COMPLETING COUNTY ROADS

The 200th project funded by Williamson County’s four voter- approved road bonds was completed in October.

2000

$375M

2006

$228M

2013

$275M

2019

$412M

SOURCE: WILLIAMSON COUNTY/ COMMUNITY IMPACT

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