North Austin News

The City of Austin's Homeless Strategy Office, working with the Austin Watershed Protection Department, has relocated 28 individuals from encampments to shelters. This action took place in a high flash flood risk area within the Country Club Creek watershed near Wickersham Lane and East Riverside Drive. Of those moved, 21 residents were accommodated at the Northbridge and Southbridge shelters under the Housing-Focused Encampment Assistance Link (HEAL) Initiative, while seven others found shelter at the Marshalling Yard Emergency Shelter following another nearby encampment closure.

Austin Resource Recovery will address litter accumulation around the creek channel to improve conditions in the area.

“The closure of this encampment provides our community’s unhoused residents with a pathway to stable shelter, and we remain committed to compassionate solutions,” stated David Gray, Homeless Strategy Officer.

The HEAL Initiative is a crucial element of Austin's strategy to combat homelessness and provide care for vulnerable residents. Since its inception in June 2021, it has transitioned over 988 people from risky encampments to city shelters such as Northbridge, Southbridge, and Marshalling Yard Emergency Shelter. The recent closure is part of efforts to manage homelessness while restoring public spaces for their intended purposes.

This initiative was supported by collaboration between various entities including the Homeless Strategy Office’s outreach team, Austin Watershed Protection Department, Austin Police Department, Austin Area Urban League, Endeavors, and other community partners.

For more information on homelessness in Austin, visit www.austintexas.gov/homelessness.