Introduction

Homelessness most impacts those individuals actually experiencing it, as highlighted by recent research profiled in the Austin Chronicle

in mid-January. Austin has long wrestled with homelessness as a city-wide, systemic challenge whose solutions are complex and resource intensive and debated across the city, state and nation. For more on those conversations, visit the City’s Homeless Strategy Office website or Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) or Austin Mutual Aid.

As the large-scale policy discussions continue, the day to day challenges fall to housed individuals and community organizations such as neighborhoods. The Cherrywood neighborhood, as most urban neighborhoods in central Texas, has always included unhoused individuals. Our awareness of these neighbors peaks during extreme weather (such as a few weeks ago), unplanned encounters, and when city proposals include Cherrywood (such as when the Days Inn was proposed to be a Bridge Shelter).

This page touches on a few aspects that have come up over the last several months and are a standing item at the monthly Steering Committee meetings.

Information about homelessness in the city of Austin can be found HERE.

Unhoused on I-35 Frontage Road

As TxDOT demolitions on the frontage road began late last year we learned that TxDOT has contracted with Sunrise Navigation Center to engage in recurring outreach to unhoused people living on properties on the frontage road to notify them of TxDOT abatement and demolition activities (their scope includes TxDOT I-35 projects in Travis, Hays and Williamson Counties). Beyond the notifications, Sunrise also tries to establish relationships with individuals to get them connected to services appropriate for their needs, which is part of a coordinated county-wide system.

Residents of Robinson Ave and others began sharing stories of interactions with unhoused individuals living on the frontage road which led to an ad-hoc group of Cherrywood residents gathering over the holidays. This group is now communicating directly with Sunrise and the TxDOT pubic engagement consultant. A de-escalation training with Sunrise is being scheduled for late February or early March.

Email steering@cherrywood.org if you’d like to be notified of this training or any future meetings of the ad hoc group.