Austin Homeless Free for All Ordinance

[Texas_Rocks 346]

Where is this?   
Nice digs.   Still don't have a big screen like the bums across from Strait Music, but still. 
 

The rug really ties the place together.

[Wally Pryor 5243]

The founder of the PAC, Becky McMillian, told the Austin Monitor Wednesday that she is not targeting those Council members who are on the November ballot – Greg Casar, Jimmy Flannigan, Leslie Pool, and Alison Alter – because the group is hoping voters will not reelect them. 

 

Keep hoping.

 

 

[Hpara759 1777]

On 9/16/2020 at 11:25 AM, RollLeft said:

looks like underpass of 183/Cameron Rd.

I agree

[dingleberryswitzer 2724]

On 9/16/2020 at 11:19 AM, Wally Pryor said:

Where is this?   

Nice digs.   Still don't have a big screen like the bums across from Strait Music, but still. 

 

Thats just a  group of hippies taking a break after a killer game of Ultimate Frisbee.

[crash_davis 23081]

6 hours ago, Texas_Rocks said:

The rug really ties the place together.

i'd argue it is the masterpiece frame painting on the left. i can't make out the subject of the picture but they strike me as the Degas type, whimsical free flowing brush strokes of young ballet dancers. 

[faps 806]

This may be old news, but man, downtown over near city hall is a fucking mess. Saw a fresh shit pile and it smelled of extreme piss in front of that parking garage over by Cedar Door.

I hadn't been down there since covid and this homeless debacle started. We just popped up from a run on the trail to see if Osteria Pronto, Fareground or Gus's was open. This isn't a good look for Austin.

[Wally Pryor 5243]

1 minute ago, mcbrisket said:

This isn't a good look for Austin.

I agree.  It is a little unkept and there are some design / matching flaws.  At the same time, no need to get snobbish about things.   

 

 

[B00M 6280]

Saw a meth whore slowly pulling her pants up after pissing near 183/lamar the other day. Good thing my kids are too young to notice. Learning there are places I just don't get to drive anymore. Thanks council!

It pissed me the fuck off when I see children's bikes at these camps.

On a semi-related note, there's a 9-10 year old boy at a small camp in North Austin. It looks like a family unit. Is the city cool with this or should I call 311? 

[BayouBill 835]

4 minutes ago, B00M said:

Saw a meth whore slowly pulling her pants up after pissing near 183/lamar the other day. Good thing my kids are too young to notice. Learning there are places I just don't get to drive anymore. Thanks council!

It pissed me the fuck off when I see children's bikes at these camps.

On a semi-related note, there's a 9-10 year old boy at a small camp in North Austin. It looks like a family unit. Is the city cool with this or should I call 311? 

City is absolutely cool with that.

[BradInATX 9208]

2 hours ago, Wally Pryor said:

I agree.  It is a little unkept and there are some design / matching flaws.  At the same time, no need to get snobbish about things.   

 

 

 

Rich white stoner kids spend a decent amount of money and show up 24 hours early to Bonnaroo for the opportunity to make a setup like that for themselves. If those homeless people could learn to DJ, they could probably convince a few of them that it's a festival and get them to pay for admission.

[atomheartbevo 89396]

2 hours ago, B00M said:

Saw a meth whore slowly pulling her pants up after pissing near 183/lamar the other day. Good thing my kids are too young to notice. Learning there are places I just don't get to drive anymore. Thanks council!

It pissed me the fuck off when I see children's bikes at these camps.

On a semi-related note, there's a 9-10 year old boy at a small camp in North Austin. It looks like a family unit. Is the city cool with this or should I call 311? 

There are family shelters in town that take in kids - I would contact one of those.

[Deej 76524]

Austin City Council: When keeping it real goes wrong. 

[landman 559]

On 9/24/2020 at 2:47 PM, Wally Pryor said:

I agree.  It is a little unkept and there are some design / matching flaws.  At the same time, no need to get snobbish about things.   

 

 

There is no way you can convince me those people are homeless for any reason other than their own choice.  

[atomheartbevo 89396]

55 minutes ago, landman said:

There is no way you can convince me those people are homeless for any reason other than their own choice.  

I went the same way to work for almost a decade.   For months on end, I'd see the same dudes at the same corners, even when the temps were 90s/100s, day in and day out, walking up and down.  It's an unpopular opinion, but you can't tell me that those dudes couldn't go to the day labor sites and get work. 

[Wally Pryor 5243]

Unpopular? To whom?   Mayor Wet Rag?  Of course they're all able bodied and capable of working but why do so when the maniacal, fucked up, lame-brained lunatics that run this city have the red carpet laid out for these bums  - camp where you want, panhandle as you wish, shit where you please, steal as you desire, commit crimes without penalty and, by the way, we'll provide periodic room service for any mess you make.  

Work?  Why the hell would they do this when the city of Austin makes it a paradise.  Just need them to provide pick up mail service so they can let more of their friends know.

Clusterfuck of unbridled proportions. 

[Deej 76524]

1 hour ago, atomheartbevo said:

I went the same way to work for almost a decade.   For months on end, I'd see the same dudes at the same corners, even when the temps were 90s/100s, day in and day out, walking up and down.  It's an unpopular opinion, but you can't tell me that those dudes couldn't go to the day labor sites and get work. 

I imagine at a busy intersection, you can make a lot more money panhandling than doing day labor. 

[wood 11121]

On 9/16/2020 at 11:40 AM, crash_davis said:

yea, those mofos are homeless by choice. not a responsibility or care in the world. shoot up when they want, thieve when they want, piss and shit when and where they want. they are counting the days until they can find a job, pay taxes and be model citizens.

Yeah this move by the council has certainly shed a new light on homelessness in Austin and changed people's perceptions. Unfortunately for them, that light isn't portraying the situation quite the way they had hoped.

I'm guessing the folks begging for money at intersections might see donations slowing a bit because of this, but who knows...

[B00M 6280]

I don't understand the people that pay the homeless to stay at intersections. Fuck them for enabling the drug addicts.

[ChickenSandwich 9798]

48 minutes ago, wood said:

Yeah this move by the council has certainly shed a new light on homelessness in Austin and changed people's perceptions. Unfortunately for them, that light isn't portraying the situation quite the way they had hoped.

I'm guessing the folks begging for money at intersections might see donations slowing a bit because of this, but who knows...

They say who cares. If you are mad, that means we need to throw more money at it. It’s not like those same angry citizens had a vote for the $150 million spent in the last two years. Fuck em

[Bozo_Casanova 26271]

3 hours ago, landman said:

There is no way you can convince me those people are homeless for any reason other than their own choice.  

I can. Come volunteer overnight with me at the cold weather shelter. $100 says you change your mind. Square biz.

Edited September 26, 2020 by Bozo_Casanova

[scottsins 1953]

Saw a meth whore slowly pulling her pants up after pissing near 183/lamar the other day. Good thing my kids are too young to notice. Learning there are places I just don't get to drive anymore. Thanks council!
It pissed me the fuck off when I see children's bikes at these camps.
On a semi-related note, there's a 9-10 year old boy at a small camp in North Austin. It looks like a family unit. Is the city cool with this or should I call 311? 

Why involve the city? Call DFPS.

[MissingInAction 24807]

I start coughing and roll down my window when they approach my vehicle to fuck up my windshields with their broken squeegee and piss water.

[Armybrat 40710]

18 hours ago, landman said:

There is no way you can convince me those people are homeless for any reason other than their own choice.  

Those guys are there for the gangbang.

[Wally Pryor 5243]

Where does one go to find the spend vs. budget by the city?   I know $60MM-ish was budgeted to address homelessness last fiscal year.   Where does one go to find out what and how much was actually spent of the budget?

Paging bozo. 

[TKthunder2 4980]

https://www.newsradioklbj.com/austinlocalnews/2020/11/09/austin-city-council-may-lease-out-another-hotel-for-covid-homeless/

Austin City Council may lease out another Hotel for COVID/Homeless

November 9, 2020

1:15 pm

Austin Local News, News, Politics

Northwest Austin may soon be home to the city’s latest acquisition of a motel to be used for COVID isolation and/or homeless housing. The city will consider this week a 60-day lease of the Fairfield Inn and Suites on Highway 183, along with three 30-day extensions. Just under $911,000 will be spent on the lease, as well as an additional $59,000 for cleaning and restoration.

[Jerry Callo 8663]

8 hours ago, TKthunder2 said:

https://www.newsradioklbj.com/austinlocalnews/2020/11/09/austin-city-council-may-lease-out-another-hotel-for-covid-homeless/

Austin City Council may lease out another Hotel for COVID/Homeless

November 9, 2020

1:15 pm

Austin Local News, News, Politics

Northwest Austin may soon be home to the city’s latest acquisition of a motel to be used for COVID isolation and/or homeless housing. The city will consider this week a 60-day lease of the Fairfield Inn and Suites on Highway 183, along with three 30-day extensions. Just under $911,000 will be spent on the lease, as well as an additional $59,000 for cleaning and restoration.

There's gonna be a hell of a line at the waffle maker.

[Guest Lobo]

Let me cross-post this from another thread on this hotel deal: 

Holy shit though---$182,000/month for 5 months to "lease" an 84-room hotel.  That's $2,170/room or roughly the same price as a B-Class 2-bedroom apartment.  Plus $700/room in "cleaning and restoration."  Isn't the whole point of a hotel, that they clean up after you?  And what is "restoration" meaning for a hotel room?  There's nothing to restore, the property is only like 4 fucking years old.  Let's call it $250k all-in because it will cost $9,000 for some employee at City of Austin to handle payments and assign rooms.  

So our brilliant City Council's best negotiating pitch to Fairfield/Marriott was basically: "I see here that your rack rate is $85/night on these rooms.  Since we're booking the entire hotel for 5 months with guaranteed government money...our final offer is to pay you $95/night given the bulk discount nature of the booking.  And we'll pass those savings on to the taxpayers."  

The amounts above also do not include the administrative costs of the entire process, the transportation to/from the hotel for the hundreds of homeless occupants.  Nor the liability/insurance requirements for a newly refurbished property with a swimming pool that may have occupants on property using drugs and alcohol en masse.  

Also, as per City of Austin policy with regard to the homeless...and you pro-City Council folks feel free to chime in and defend them...reading through the policy proposal going before council:  To provide for on-site counseling, addition specialists, job training, placement counseling, mental health counseling, and/or housing continuation logistics...our City Council is proposing that this Fairfield Inn 5-month site solution receive a grand total of $0 for any of what I just described.  All occupants will be given a CapMetro ride back to a location of their choosing within the CapMetro area of service, and that is all.  That's it, that's our grand solution to homelessness.  Nothing will change because this is, and has always been, treated as a real estate issue by Adler and our Council.  

I don't care anymore, fight me.  Our Council and Mayor's solution to homelessness is a Crime Against Humanity.  

Edited November 10, 2020 by Lobo

[ChickenSandwich 9798]

It’s a crime against the city of Austin Tax payers. 

[Wally Pryor 5243]

29 minutes ago, Lobo said:

and you pro-City Council folks feel free to chime in and defend them...  

Yeah, go ahead. 

[atomheartbevo 89396]

In the area I jog along Shoal Creek, in the past week, have seen some homeless move under the bridges at 34th (just below an elementary school) and Shoal Creek, and 38th (behind the Randalls).   Parts of those areas are actually concrete slabs, or rock and gravel, and so would seem to be good spots for those types, except that parts of the creek along there are stagnant as fuck, and full of mosquitos.

Normally, there's one homeless guy around that area, he's an older guy, plays guitar, have talked to him quite a few times over the past year or so, cool guy,, but he's not there every day.  These new guys, they are there all day, and younger guys at that.  No tents or anything, but they have a lot of gear.

So Bozo, how do you handle those types?  Because they have got to be pissing/shitting somewhere, and there's a shit-ton of kids that walk/ride by both of those guys every day.  I have not checked Nextdoor, because there was something that happened a week ago that caused it to turn into another shit-flinging mess, but, I'm sure some are flipping out.

[Bevo 13516]

183 at the exit before and after Trulucks is beginning to look like Cameron.

[Chet Steadman 940]

Does anyone believe for one second there’s only 2000 homeless people here in Austin?

There may be 2000 just between the underpasses of 71/S.Lamar, Caesar Chavez and 183/Burnet.  

[Guest Lobo]

Most estimates I've seen for the permanent population is ~3,500.  Transitional populations are at least half-again that amount.  

[dcar00 14028]

8 hours ago, Lobo said:

Let me cross-post this from another thread on this hotel deal: 

Holy shit though---$182,000/month for 5 months to "lease" an 84-room hotel.  That's $2,170/room or roughly the same price as a B-Class 2-bedroom apartment.  Plus $700/room in "cleaning and restoration."  Isn't the whole point of a hotel, that they clean up after you?  And what is "restoration" meaning for a hotel room?  There's nothing to restore, the property is only like 4 fucking years old.  Let's call it $250k all-in because it will cost $9,000 for some employee at City of Austin to handle payments and assign rooms.  

So our brilliant City Council's best negotiating pitch to Fairfield/Marriott was basically: "I see here that your rack rate is $85/night on these rooms.  Since we're booking the entire hotel for 5 months with guaranteed government money...our final offer is to pay you $95/night given the bulk discount nature of the booking.  And we'll pass those savings on to the taxpayers."  

The amounts above also do not include the administrative costs of the entire process, the transportation to/from the hotel for the hundreds of homeless occupants.  Nor the liability/insurance requirements for a newly refurbished property with a swimming pool that may have occupants on property using drugs and alcohol en masse.  

Also, as per City of Austin policy with regard to the homeless...and you pro-City Council folks feel free to chime in and defend them...reading through the policy proposal going before council:  To provide for on-site counseling, addition specialists, job training, placement counseling, mental health counseling, and/or housing continuation logistics...our City Council is proposing that this Fairfield Inn 5-month site solution receive a grand total of $0 for any of what I just described.  All occupants will be given a CapMetro ride back to a location of their choosing within the CapMetro area of service, and that is all.  That's it, that's our grand solution to homelessness.  Nothing will change because this is, and has always been, treated as a real estate issue by Adler and our Council.  

I don't care anymore, fight me.  Our Council and Mayor's solution to homelessness is a Crime Against Humanity.  

huge park near all available needs for homeless right downtown.  bring in some FEMA trailers(which I am sure are a dime a dozen right now) and house them there.  everything they could want is right there and it would cost less to control the drug problem and much more efficient to figure out who is mentally ill or not

[Guest Lobo]

Well, let's start the betting pool.  Not judging any of these folks on their vices, God knows I've watched an adult film or two in my time.  But what's the total amount of in-room PPV charges accumulated at this Fairfield Inn over the course of that five months?  Over/Under at $20,000.  I'll donate my winnings to FitLump's re-election campaign.  

[dcar00 14028]

1 hour ago, Chet Steadman said:

Does anyone believe for one second there’s only 2000 homeless people here in Austin?

There may be 2000 just between the underpasses of 71/S.Lamar, Caesar Chavez and 183/Burnet.  

the number thrown around was about 6K-7K total with 2K being chronic.  don't believe that for a second.  Its probably closer to double that.

[Armybrat 40710]

Whatever happened to that state-sponsored camp Abbott set up in SE Austin? It seems to have disappeared from the news media.

[TKthunder2 4980]

2 hours ago, Armybrat said:

Whatever happened to that state-sponsored camp Abbott set up in SE Austin? It seems to have disappeared from the news media.

Looks like it’s still there, any expansion/development came to a dead stop when COVID hit.  The below was back in July...

https://stories.usatodaynetwork.com/austin-homeless-camp-ratt/home/

[TKthunder2 4980]

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/new-effort-aims-to-build-200-dignified-tiny-homes-at-state-homeless-camp-in-austin/

New effort aims to build 200 tiny homes at state homeless camp in Austin

AUSTIN (KXAN) — An effort announced Tuesday aims to install around 200 fiberglass-aluminum tiny homes on the five-acre site in southeast Austin which has served as a state-designated homeless encampment for the past year. 

The homes will be built through a partnership with Austin nonprofit The Other Ones Foundation (TOOF), along with Seattle-area company Pallet who has also built these shelters in areas around the country from Sacramentoand Riverside, Calif., to Portland, Ore.

Work crews of people experiencing homelessness from The Other Ones Foundation assembled these tiny homes with parts from company Pallet at the state-sanctioned homeless encampment in southeast Austin. November 24, 2020. (KXAN Photo/ Alyssa Goard). 

These shelters are manufactured in Washington by Pallet who employs people with lived experience in homelessness, incarceration or addiction and recovery to create the materials. All the parts can be set up as quickly as 30 minutes (without tools or with a very basic set of tools) and also come with locking doors and windows, a secure ventilation system, a 110 mph wind rating, materials resistant to things like mold and mildew and an expected lifespan for the materials of more than 10 years. 

These shelters come in two sizes, one that is 64 square feet and one that is 100 square feet. 

‘Esperanza Community’: Residents elect new vision for state homeless camp in Austin 

The company says the goal with these units is to provide the people who stay there a “dignified, safe temporary shelter solution” while also providing them protection from the elements and allowing for safe distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The Other Ones Foundation (TOOF), whose primary work is providing low-barrier employment to people experiencing homelessness, has been a steward at the state encampment since this summer, and reached out to Pallet to help bring in shelters. People experiencing homelessness on a work crew for TOOF helped assemble the first two homes at the site Tuesday. 

One of the people working to assemble these homes told KXAN, “I’d love to have one of these things.”

“It’s like the size of what they’d give you to live in Manhattan,” he laughed. 

The foundation explained that the goal will be to have a $2 million capitol campaign to fund these homes across the asphalt site where the nonprofit believes around 150 people experiencing homelessness are currently living. 

Signs on the door to enter the resource center from The Other Ones Foundation at the Esperanza Community instruct visitors to wear masks inside. November 12, 2020. (KXAN Photo/Julie Karam).

The foundation is working in partnership with the residents of the Esperanza Community to grow a transformation and transitional site where folks can safely access resources needed to move out of homelessness,” said Max Moscoe, public information officer for TOOF. “We believe the safest and most dignified way for people to walk this path is inside, out of the elements. We are very excited to partner with Pallet and the Austin community to offer these shelters to the residents here.”

The site has been through plenty of changes over the past year, including electing its own council (with the help of TOOF), and voting to change the name of the site to Esperanza Community.

The camp sits on an L-shaped lot on land owned by the Texas Department of Transportation off US Highway 183 near Montopolis Drive.

This campsite was first opened on Nov. 7, 2019 as a place where people experiencing homelessness could go while the state cleared out encampments beneath overpasses at a time when shelters in the city were full.

This unique encampment became a reality because Governor Abbott designated the state land. Abbott tasked state agencies with some aspects of operating the camp and those agencies remain involved today. The Texas Department of Public Safety said it is still working with state and local partners to provide security at the camp 24/7. The Texas Department of Emergency Management has been tasked by Governor Abbott with managing donations and meals at the camp.

A view of the state-sanctioned homeless encampment which residents have now voted to call Esperanza Community. November 12, 2020. (KXAN Photo/ Alyssa Goard). 

These new aluminum shelters at Esperanza Community are being assembled by TOOF. But in June, TOOF took on the role of service coordinator at the encampment, relocating its headquarters to the site in August. Since locating to the campsite, TOOF has brought in trailers with hot showers for residents, a resource center (which residents excitedly note has WiFi and TV), and caseworkers.

Starting last week. TOOF began offering medical care for residents at the site through CommUnity Care and mental healthcare through Integral Care

[Hagbard Celine 10749]

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/it-s-a-miracle-helsinki-s-radical-solution-to-homelessness?utm_source=pocket-newtab

[ChickenSandwich 9798]

17 minutes ago, Hagbard Celine said:

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/it-s-a-miracle-helsinki-s-radical-solution-to-homelessness?utm_source=pocket-newtab

3500 homes in 12 years. 
 

Finland population: 5.53 million 

Greater Houston population: 7 million (2018)

[wd40 1976]

20 minutes ago, Hagbard Celine said:

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/it-s-a-miracle-helsinki-s-radical-solution-to-homelessness?utm_source=pocket-newtab

https://www.foreigner.fi/articulo/business/government-deficit-and-debt-grew-in-2019/20201021084331008559.html

https://www.reuters.com/article/finland-budget-idUSL8N2FE4FL

some miracle

 

[Wally Pryor 5243]

Hall pass if you want to stop reading after the 7th or 8th paragraph.

Translation: City doesn't know what the hell it's doing. 

 

Statesman:

More than $31 million in taxpayer money the city of Austin devoted to combatting homelessness last year has not been spent, raising questions from city officials as to whether the money is still available and can be repurposed to house the increasing number of people living outdoors.

An analysis of fiscal year 2020 spending shows the city did not proceed with multiple planned expenditures for homelessness services, including $1.3 million in operating costs associated with a motel the city decided against purchasing in South Austin. Another $4.8 million that was intended to secure permanent housing through a public-private partnership using investor funds never got out the door when the program was scrapped in favor of a traditional model.

The city had intentions to hire an anti-displacement specialist but did not do so because of a hiring freeze triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The homelessness-related spending breakdown was obtained from the city through a public records request by the American-Statesman.

For the fiscal year that ended in September, Austin appropriated $73.4 million to be spent on homelessness-related services, the most ever for the city. Of that total, $54.4 million was from local funds and $19 million came from federal grants. 

The city has spent 57% of the appropriated amount, a total of $42.3 million, public records show.

Mayor Steve Adler said he has asked the city manager to explore how much of the unused $31.1 million is still available and could be be spent on permanent supportive housing or other homelessness services.

City spokesman Andy Tate told the American-Statesman that most of that money has been committed — but not yet spent — for City Council-approved programs. About $1.5 million of it was redirected to provide rental assistance for for low-income households impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.

“There are a number of reasons why not all of our homelessness budget is spent in a single fiscal year," Tate said in a written statement. "Many of our programs benefit from receiving funds appropriated in one year that are intentionally stretched over multiple years. Some investments may have been committed but not transferred, while others earmarked for one purpose have been redirected because of the COVID-19 pandemic."

The city has committed multiple-year investments for repairs at the ARCH shelter and for a program that provides repairs for eligible homeowners so they can stay in their homes.

According to a January point-in-time count, 1,574 people in Austin were unsheltered -- meaning they were living outside, in tents or in automobiles. That was a 45% increase from the 2019 count, which was done before the City Council repealed a city ban against camping in public spaces — a politically divisive move that brought a number of homeless people out of wooded areas and into plain sight. 

Matt Mollica, executive director of Ending Community Homeless Coalition — the group that organized the count — said the amount of unspent funds from last year suggests that more urgency is needed by the city and city partners to get people into supportive housing.

"We're concerned that there's funding that's yet to be encumbered from the fiscal year budget," Mollica said. "We know that there are many reasons why that's the case, but we are resolute in our commitment and our partnership with the city and other service providers in the community to make sure that money gets spent quickly and effectively to address homelessness in our community."

Matt Mackowiak, co-founder of Save Austin Now, a group that supports reinstating the camping ban, said the city needs better spending strategies to solve the homelessness crisis.

"Governments are real good about making a case for more money to solve a problem," he said. "They're not real good about executing when you give them the money."

The City Council has prioritized the purchase of hotels and motels to house the homeless, and at one time floated the idea of buying a property in each of the 10 City Council districts. Adler said that's still the goal. The city closed on the purchase of one hotel during the past fiscal year and began the process for acquiring another hotel that it has since closed on. Both of the hotels are along Interstate 35: the Rodeway Inn between Oltorf and Woodward streets, and the Country Inn & Suites, which is south of U.S. 183.

The properties will be outfitted for permanent housing, but for now are being used as temporary lodges for people experiencing homelessness who are deemed at-risk for COVID-19.

The cost to acquire and renovate the Rodeway Inn was $6.3 million — $1.7 million less than budgeted. The $8 million-plus spent for the Country Inn & Suites came from the current 2021 fiscal year budget even though the City Council initiated the transaction back in May. The city has appropriated $60.9 million for homelessness-related services this year.

Adler declined to say if the city is close to purchasing any additional properties, directing the inquiry to the city's real estate office. Discussions about real estate transactions are generally handled by the City Council and staff in closed executive sessions. The real estate office as a practice does not discuss transactions before they are official.  

"I'm impatient and I want it to be moving faster," Adler said about getting people housed. "I feel a real sense of urgency and need for us to make sure we get a plan that everyone in the community can articulate and figure out how to better manage our shared public spaces."

This past week, the city said it has moved 1,387 people into housing and out of homelessness this year.

Council Member Kathie Tovo, whose downtown district has the city's largest homeless population, said she had hoped the city would have purchased more hotels by now. However, Tovo said, "the council doesn't govern the speed with which we enter into contracts and the speed with which we're able to get programs up and implemented."

 

 

[demos 2992]

City not knowing what it’s doing is pretty much par for the course.

[Wally Pryor 5243]

More wasted time by Mackowiak and company.  God bless 'em but, even if they're good signatures, you can bet the city clerk will find a way to keep the reinstatement off the ballot.   And if by slim chance it did find its way, just imagine how that ballot language would look. 

 

After failing last year to reinstate the city's homeless camping ban, an Austin group says it has collected the required number of petition signatures to bring the issue before voters in May.

Save Austin Now says it turned in more than 24,000 signatures to the city clerk Tuesday, continuing its push to overturn a 2019 Austin City Council vote that repealed the city's public camping ordinance.

The signatures still must be validated by the clerk's office to verify that at least 20,000 of them came from registered voters living in the city. Save Austin Now says it validated every signature it turned in, and discarded about 6,000 others it could not validate.

If approved by the clerk, language that would allow voters to reinstate the camping ban would go on the May 1 ballot.

https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2021/01/19/austin-camping-ban-petition-could-put-issue-on-may-ballot/4213775001/

 

On another front, hats off to the Riverside crew for clotheslines.  Not many trees along Ben White so first time I've seen this.

 

 

 

[Wally Pryor 5243]

The wet rag finally admitting what he should have many months ago. 

 

 

Facing the possibility Austin voters could reinstate the city's homeless camping ban in May, Mayor Steve Adler said the city's existing plan of action has failed. In a conversation with the American-Statesman, Adler acknowledged that the 2019 repeal of the city's camping ban "is not working." 

"Going back to where we were we know doesn't work – and what we're doing now we also know doesn't work," Adler told the Statesman.

In December, the American-Statesman reported the city did not spend $31 million of $73.4 million it had appropriated to addressing homeless in the most recent completed fiscal year. The amount of unspent money spoke to a lack of urgency by the city to shelter people living on the streets, according to Matt Mollica, executive director of Ending Community Homeless Coalition.

At the end of December, the city hired consultant Dianna Grey to be Austin's homeless strategy officer, a position that had been unfilled for more than a year. Grey is tasked with coordinating the city's homeless response among multiple departments.

Adler has said many times that addressing homelessness is the city's biggest issue.

"We need long-term solutions," he said. "We need to know how long it's going to take and what it's going to take to get the job done. But in the near term we have to do a better job of managing shared public spaces."

https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2021/01/21/homelessness-austin-repeal-camping-ban-not-working-adler-says/4243652001/

 

 

 

 

[Guest Lobo]

I have a long-term solution Mr. Mayor that would make eloquent use of that extra $62mm.  $20k per homeless person in 2021 for mental illness therapy, addiction counseling, and job training.  

Oh wait, spoiler alert.  You're gonna roll that over and look for more real estate deals to "solve" this problem through your network and your wife.  

Moody's downgraded City of Austin from AAA to Aa1...you're the first mayor in a long time to preside over a credit downgrade.  I wonder what the other two services are gonna say when they see the rest of your bond grift.  I don't know, but I don't think it's gonna be good.  you fucking child.  

[crash_davis 23081]

50 minutes ago, Wally Pryor said:

The wet rag finally admitting what he should have many months ago. 

 

 

Facing the possibility Austin voters could reinstate the city's homeless camping ban in May, Mayor Steve Adler said the city's existing plan of action has failed. In a conversation with the American-Statesman, Adler acknowledged that the 2019 repeal of the city's camping ban "is not working." 

"Going back to where we were we know doesn't work – and what we're doing now we also know doesn't work," Adler told the Statesman.

In December, the American-Statesman reported the city did not spend $31 million of $73.4 million it had appropriated to addressing homeless in the most recent completed fiscal year. The amount of unspent money spoke to a lack of urgency by the city to shelter people living on the streets, according to Matt Mollica, executive director of Ending Community Homeless Coalition.

At the end of December, the city hired consultant Dianna Grey to be Austin's homeless strategy officer, a position that had been unfilled for more than a year. Grey is tasked with coordinating the city's homeless response among multiple departments.

Adler has said many times that addressing homelessness is the city's biggest issue.

"We need long-term solutions," he said. "We need to know how long it's going to take and what it's going to take to get the job done. But in the near term we have to do a better job of managing shared public spaces."

https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2021/01/21/homelessness-austin-repeal-camping-ban-not-working-adler-says/4243652001/

 

 

 

 

I hope fitlump gives Adler AIDS. Fuck the entire city leadership.

[Wally Pryor 5243]

17 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

I hope fitlump gives Adler AIDS. 

Holy shit.   Most people would probably settle for crabs. 

[Guest Lobo]

Don't be a dick man, he can't do shellfish.