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Austin Homeless Free for All Ordinance

rage-a-holic

By rage-a-holic
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TKthunder2
TKthunder2

Do what San Antonio did.  Spend a couple million on a facility in Far East Austin that is equipped to receive the homeless and parter with local charities, church, community colleges and hospitals to

crash_davis
crash_davis

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/austins-homeless-residents-fear-whats-next-once-camping-ban-takes-effect/ Abigail Wilson is among those who just found out about the Prop B ban. She said sh

Red Five
Red Five

I realize hindsight is 20/20, but perhaps building a gigantic homeless shelter in the middle of downtown Austin wasn't the greatest idea ever. 

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alincoln

alincoln 2371

Posted
Posted

What is the % breakdown of the homeless population within the following groups (understanding that there is significant overlap)?

  • Mental illness other than addicts
  • Addicts
  • Voluntarily homeless (for example, but not exclusively, 20 year old "travelers")
  • Mentally deficient
  • Down on their luck not attributable to the other categories
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smuggs

smuggs 9353

Posted
Posted
10 hours ago, Druggist said:

This showed up this morning on a vacant commercial lot near my office on Airport commerce (near 183&71).  It is so trashed I am surprised it survived the journey. This is what should be deposited near our city council members houses.  They are harder to get rid of. 

0-C1-C11-BD-6-DBC-4-AD5-B6-DE-D619-E8-E6

 

That is an old Apache hardside pop-up.

Put it on Craigslist and you could probably make a quick $800 in the condition it is in.

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FondrenRoad

FondrenRoad 4378

Posted
Posted
On 6/19/2019 at 6:56 PM, atomheartbevo said:

It’s interesting - if you look at maps of Austin around a century ago, there was a big-ass mental asylum around the area roughly between Central Market on North Lamar, and Shoal Creek, north of 38th.  There was also a separate one for African-Americans.  

We used to really give a shit.  We took it too far - Uncle Larry shouldn’t have been locked up because he was caught wearing his sister’s clothes one too many times.  Some would argue we didn’t go far enough and didn’t institutionalize enough mentally ill, hence the need for Texas A&M surviving past the early 1900s.   We did some barbaric shit as well.

But it feels like we need to take another look at it.  Somebody in our neighborhood had to deal with a bipolar person whose parents had rented them an apartment, and said bipolar person would not stay on their meds, and had no supervision.    They would do crazy shit, and the cops (Austin has cops trained to deal with the mentally ill. Apparently just ask when talking to 911) would sometimes take them somewhere, but they could get out fairly easy on their own, after they were on their meds and coherent.   This person needed constant supervision, and their parents couldn’t or wouldn’t provide it.  After the parents are gone, this person will spiral in pretty hard.  

Back in the day, every city had involuntary admission for mental health.  NYC had a whole island filled with asylums where people were checked in, but could never check out.  Deinstitutionalization started occurring nationwide in the 60s. As it stands now, there is pretty much no involuntary commitment anymore unless the individual commits a violent crime.

Conditions and oversight were horrendous back in the day, but it should be possible to find a middle ground.  Get people the help they need even when they don't want it, and open the doors to the asylum completely for the press and non-profit watchdogs.  A homeless schizophrenic isn't doing himself any favors on the street and in a schizophrenic state, he also isn't going to ask for the help he needs.  He shouldn't have to attack someone before he gets help.

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SquishMitten

SquishMitten 10403

Posted
Posted
On 6/25/2019 at 9:19 AM, woohorn said:

The ones who won't seek out shelters are couples, dog owners, guys with shopping carts full of gear, etc.

No modern, humane mental health facility is gonna help one bit,because the guys you see in the street won't go voluntarily.

I don’t think the expectation is for them to all go voluntarily. When they do something that would otherwise lead to an arrest, cops would take them to processing at this facility (instead of jail) where they could then be housed in the appropriate section for treatment, education, etc. No more of the silly catch and release the next morning. Give them services, get them rehab. If they can be shown a better option, they can take it. If they’re too mentally ill to do anything other than be homeless, they can remain sheltered, fed, and better off than dying in the streets. Sure it’s more complex than that, but I don’t see why this isn’t a strong foundation to a better solution. Lots of unskilled, low-wage jobs out there too. Airport cleaning/maintenance, same with COTA. 

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Bozo_Casanova

Bozo_Casanova 26444

Posted
Posted
i must have missed it then, sorry.
 
can you give some examples?  is it something that could be solved by finding more money or finding motivation to rezone?  the main benefit of what i'm suggesting is the pooling of resources (human, intellectual, and monetary) under a common mission becomes much easier.  egos are easier to manage and ownership of MY mission/organization is less.  

Zoning (in that it is the policy of land use) is the axis around which Austin politics orbits, and the political factions of our city align around it. The fundamental, core problem in Austin is where policy will allow housing to go. That’s true for the rich, the middle class, working people and the homeless alike, and more difficult as you move down the scale.
So when you talk about the pooling of resources from where I sit that seem relatively easy, but where to put the people and do the work of redemption is very difficult.
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atomheartbevo

atomheartbevo 89648

Posted
Posted
25 minutes ago, bschoolprof said:

--The surly poster showing up halfway on a scooter and cargo shorts was a nice touch

--Serious question, how does the apollo creed homeless guy afford an iphone bill?

There are 11 generations of iPhones alone, so there’s a metric shit-ton of cheap used smartphones floating around.  You don’t have to have a data plan when you can get free WiFi all over the places, and voice/text plans are cheap as shit.

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Armybrat

Armybrat 40832

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, MissingInAction said:

That large mental health facility is still there and its called Austin State Hospital. Its where the violent fuckers go, and APD has a substation there where at least 3 officers are always on duty.

 

My brother worked there as a night attendant on the criminal ward for two years (1959-1961). He has some dark stories about that place.

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Bozo_Casanova

Bozo_Casanova 26444

Posted
Posted
--The surly poster showing up halfway on a scooter and cargo shorts was a nice touch
--Serious question, how does the apollo creed homeless guy afford an iphone bill?

The two women and the two main guys not in wheelchair are outside sometimes, and may not have permanent homes, but are more part of the marginal street character element that preys upon the homeless than the permanent homeless population itself. That’s the real problem with the ARCH and surrounding area- it puts the the most vulnerable and the most predatory elements of our city in close contact. Everybody’s just waiting for trouble to break out and it does. It’s very chaotic.

Look at the contrast between that and Trinity Center a block west. Trinity Center is orderly and peaceful and the people who use it more or less self-police because they regard it as -their- community.

Related- the most surprising thing for most people who volunteer to spend the night in a shelter or visit a hobo jungle: with the exception of very occasional outbursts from people having episodes, it’s extremely quiet.
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HOOKEM4

HOOKEM4 5036

Posted
Posted
14 hours ago, MissingInAction said:

Nextdoor page is blowing the fuck up with bullshit reports of homeless camps popping up in peoples yards.

I preemptively built my own tent city in my front yard just to keep them out of my yard. It wasn't hard at all. Found everything I needed on bulk pickup day.

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ChickenSandwich

ChickenSandwich 9832

Posted
Posted
57 minutes ago, HOOKEM4 said:

I preemptively built my own tent city in my front yard just to keep them out of my yard. It wasn't hard at all. Found everything I needed on bulk pickup day.

Holyshit. Bulk pickup day could create entire new communities. It’s like a starter kit neatly separated on each street.  

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RCRanger03

RCRanger03 1049

Posted
Posted
On 6/26/2019 at 11:08 PM, RCRanger03 said:

Probably shouldn't out myself after some of the earlier posts in this thread 

I've been a property manager at Community First Village since before it opened and helped manage a MLF truck location before that, AMA

 

On 6/26/2019 at 11:33 PM, gsoda3 said:

I'd like to hear your experiences and any thoughts on what needs to be done and how we can make the most impact.

More thoughts than I can effectively put into a post to be honest. I've been at this full bore for the last 5 years. Can you do me a favor and specify some particular or situational aspects of it?

 

On 6/27/2019 at 8:12 AM, alincoln said:

What is the % breakdown of the homeless population within the following groups (understanding that there is significant overlap)?

  • Mental illness other than addicts
    • If you've been chronically homeless (living in a situation that wasn't intended for long term habitation for 1 year or more) then you have PTSD of some degree full stop. It's 24/7/365 full alert fight or flight in that situation (Think 8,736 consecutive of your most stressful hour)‬. You don't sleep, you're malnourished, dehydrated. Then throw on top if you have something diagnoseable, and can't get or cant keep track of your meds. Everything is magnified.    
  • Addicts
    • Substance abuse of some type (pot/alcohol to K2/crack to abuse of prescription meds) is prevalent throughout the population but mostly as a symptom of homelessness/disintegration of community structures instead of a root cause/instigating factor. We have great data from surveys over the past 4 years that show a high percentage of substance reduction or sobriety from stabilizing and reconnecting to community.
  • Voluntarily homeless (for example, but not exclusively, 20 year old "travelers")
    • I'll take a stab at it and say 10% (almost never chronically homeless, sometimes they will tell you they're doing "on purpose" to deflect out of pride)
  • Mentally deficient
    • Occasionally (sometimes people get really burnt out on drugs and mistaken for this), but not super common. These days people don't abandon their family with this situation like they used to.
  • Down on their luck not attributable to the other categories
    • Essentially 0% of chronically homeless (we have 1 guy who now lives at the village that I could put in this camp). Those are the folks that are couch surfing/hunkering down in their car for a few months while they sort out new circumstance. Not the type that you see at the arch, flying a sign, under a bridge etc

 

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Bozo_Casanova

Bozo_Casanova 26444

Posted
Posted

RC- thanks for what you do. I know it’s not perfect or easy. It y’all are creating the model and doing the hardest work with the toughest problem. When I see mentally ill women on the street I see my mother’s face. I’m humbled and moved by your efforts to restore the human dignify of these lost souls.

I only wish this city could make more space for your programs and other transformative efforts. I’m sure you went to the ZAP hearing where this got hashed out. At one point one of the neighbors (who has since come around from what I hear) said something like “let’s be honest, the only place this could happen is here,” and everybody on both sides of the issue agreed.

I hope that on your end you see more good, more support in action and encouragement beyond lip service for your work from the people of this city than I do. You deserve it.

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wood

wood 11225

Posted
Posted (edited)
On 6/27/2019 at 10:47 AM, SquishMitten said:

 Lots of unskilled, low-wage jobs out there too. Airport cleaning/maintenance, same with COTA. 

COTA?

COTA has a very small staff and only has jobs during events, which are getting rarer and rarer and only last 1 to 3 days at most. When they do have jobs, they hire through an event staffing company.

Besides, Epstein's too busy (1) trying to make sure he keeps getting $30,000,000 a year in subsidies from the State to keep that place afloat, and (2) spending a good chunk of that on his efforts to derail the Austin MLS team & their stadium.

Edited by wood
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Armybrat

Armybrat 40832

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, MissingInAction said:

Thats the thing. Rundberg has always looked like a homeless camp.

Not in 1971 right after it was paved and we bought our new house in Windsor Hills. Nice area then. At least we moved out in1976.

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Armybrat

Armybrat 40832

Posted
Posted (edited)
10 minutes ago, MissingInAction said:

Any fucktard can get a job with the government, and keep it to retirement no matter how badly they fuck up.

I am pretty sure you have to murder babies and puppies in front of Jesus to get written up.

TxDot and the TABC are living proof of that.

Fify

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El Diablo

El Diablo 4232

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Posted
39 minutes ago, MissingInAction said:

Any fucktard can get a job with the government, and keep it to retirement no matter how badly they fuck up.

I am pretty sure you have to murder babies and puppies in front of Jesus to get written up.

I am living proof of that.

Jesus needs to mind his own business.

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Guest Lobo

Guest Lobo

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Posted

It's going to be awkward when homeless folks are given free rides to Ann Kitchen's residence to setup camp nearby.  I mean, I guess I could be nice and use RideAustin to shuttle them over to her neighborhood.  Since we don't want any un-fingerprinted drivers from Uber of Lyft.  But offering free rides to them along with a boxed lunch and beverages of their choice is going to be awfully enticing.    

I don't know the definition of irony Ann, but whatever it is...it's about to take a massive dump on your front yard.  

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Wally Pryor

Wally Pryor 5261

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Posted

Comedic value at its finest, but then you have to dust it off and it's back to reality and nothing but shit-filled tomfoolery.   The camping deal is casting a shadow over the shelter that was shoved, let's put it lightly, down stakeholders throats in a matter of days.  Not weeks or months, but days - a clusterfuck of epic proportions with ramifications deep and wide spread, and no real idea of how it's exactly going to work.  But, hey, let's say we "looked at 100 other sites", per AK (but said sites not to be divulged to anyone) and know that we have Monopoly money and will pay 2X+ over market value for piece of property just to get the shit moving.   As in, right in line with the city council's idiotic playbook, that's 2 binders thick at this point. 

Oh, and back to the whole welcome mat and camping where you please.   Lulz.     Join the council, and the Easter Bunny, in saying "...we're happy to have you" except when you're within sight of us. 

Again, so much comedy.

After emotional testimony last week regarding homelessness in Austin, City Council members rescinded prohibitions on camping on public property. Starting Monday, so long as they are not presenting a hazard or danger, people will be able to sleep, lie and set up tents on city-owned sidewalks, plazas and vacant non-park space.

Except, not in front of City Hall itself.

City Hall building guidelines implemented by former City Manager Marc Ott in 2012 disallow anyone from using the outdoor plaza, covered amphitheater or raised mezzanine from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. unless a city meeting is going on inside. The rules specifically prohibit sleeping, camping, storing personal property and erecting tents.

City spokespersons confirmed this week that the camping prohibition remains in place. City Manager Spencer Cronk said in a text message that staffers are reviewing the policy, but did not indicate whether he intends to rescind it.

https://www.statesman.com/news/20190628/camping-comes-to-austin-public-spaces---but-not-at-city-hall

 

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atomheartbevo

atomheartbevo 89648

Posted
Posted

This makes more sense, given the curfew rules.

Quote

Other areas where camping remains banned include any city park space, under Austin Parks and Recreation rules.That includes downtown green spaces as well as trails and greenbelts such as along Barton Creek.

 

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