Government
BY BEN THOMPSON
Tax hike could fund homeless programs
Zooming in
Supportive services, homelessness prevention, other strategies and support Street outreach Encampment management Shelter Permanent supportive housing, rapid rehousing Austin spending on homelessness
The city and local partners hope to make real- time shelter bed information available, expand street outreach, and bolster other resources alongside public-facing system updates. Addressing encampments remains a priority across several departments, Gray said, after the city closed or cleaned up more than 1,500 individual sites in 2024. A public-facing dashboard tracking city work and local complaints will launch this year. If funding is increased, millions more could be spent on hundreds of new shelter beds and housing units, building on the current stream of supportive housing backed by the city, county and other organizations. New “micro-shelters” in existing city facilities to house smaller groups of people are also being considered, Gray said.
$125M
City officials are considering new ways to support their priority of homelessness response and sustain that funding into the future. Recent city programming has been supported with federal relief dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act and one-off spending. Officials are now looking to turn some of those items into permanent investments, replace federal ARPA funds that expire next year and add services to meet growing needs. With the city facing widening projected budget gaps through the 2020s, Austin may not be able to keep all current programs in place or add new ones without a revenue boost. That increase could come through a tax rate election, or TRE, asking voters to authorize hiking taxes beyond a state-imposed cap. In April, Homeless Strategy Officer David Gray proposed spending millions of dollars to replace expiring ARPA funds, build new shelter beds and housing for those exiting homelessness, and beef up various services and response efforts: • Nearly $23 million to maintain current initiatives backed by one-time or expiring spending • About $33 million for expanded investments That would add to the tens of millions of dollars in the city’s general fund budget used for homelessness on a continuing basis. “Our system is successful... That being said, our system is just too small,” Gray said.
$120M
$100M
$75M $75M
$75M
$59M
The outlook
$50M $49M
Austin is a central player in the regional Homelessness Response System, but officials said local companies or philanthropists will also need to contribute. Gray said the share of Austin’s budget dedicated to homelessness, and lacking philanthropic support in that area, is relatively high compared to other Texas cities. City Council will set a new TRE policy after press time, and decide whether to call one this year during summer budget deliberations.
$25M
0
SOURCE: CITY OF AUSTIN/COMMUNITY IMPACT NOTE: SPENDING IS SHOWN BY CITY FISCAL YEAR.
BEGINS EARLY GOOD DENTAL HEALTH There’s nothing more important than your child’s smile!
® lego
your one-stop shop for all things
(512) 892-0013 3755 S Capital of Texas Hwy, Suite 292 Austin, TX 78704 thielpediatricdentistry.com We take pride in providing a fun, comfortable visit for your child.
bamsouthaustin bam_southaustin buy sell trade trade parties part i es buy sell trade parties 5207 BRODIE LN, #130, SUNSET VALLEY, TX 78748
11
SOUTHWEST AUSTIN - DRIPPING SPRINGS EDITION
Powered by FlippingBook