Texas Governor To Send Crews To Move Austin Homeless Population

AUSTIN, TX — Making good on an earlier threat of state intervention in the issue of homelessness in Austin, Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday announced plans to dispatch Texas Department of Transportation crews to move those living on the streets away from under bridges and overpasses next week.

As the city moves to deal with its homeless population, Abbott — a vocal critic of previously relaxed rules on people sitting or lying on streets — said TxDot crews will ask Austin homeless people to move from underpasses starting on Monday, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

The move comes ahead of a Friday deadline Abbott previously set to take such action. After city council members over the summer loosened their rules related to the homeless population, people began pitching tents in the city. Abbott emerged as the most vocal critic of council's actions, threatening to use state resources to rid homeless people from areas close to traffic.

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“Governor Abbott has been clear that unless the City of Austin demonstrated improvements to protect public health and safety, the state of Texas would step in to address this crisis,” Abbott spokesman John Wittman said in a prepared statement, as the Statesman reported. “With today’s notice from TxDOT, the Governor is following through on his promise."

Wittman added: “These notices are the first step to clear encampments from underpasses throughout the city, while providing those experiencing homelessness with access to resources for services and care. In addition to these short-term services, the Office of the Governor is working with a coalition consisting of private sector and faith-based organizations on longer-term solutions. This effort is spearheaded by the Austin Chamber of Commerce and is focused on meeting the needs of un-sheltered Austinites not currently being addressed."

In response to the governor's announcement, Austin Mayor Steve Adler posted a tweet highlighting the city's recent success in securing housing for members of the homeless population: "Austin has moved over 400 people off the streets and into housing in the last 60 days," Adler wrote. "We're still trying to get more information on the @GregAbbott plan, but we're focused on housing, not hiding."

Anticipating the governor's move during an Oct. 18 media briefing, Adler expressed concern over the plan. While not ideal, encampments under highway overpasses are safer environments for the displaced — so long as they're at a safe distance away from frontage road traffic — than wooded areas or along creeks and other waterways where they're often forced to relocate, he said.

Adler worried the governor's actions in directing TxDot to remove members of the homeless population from underpasses might drive them to those dangerous situations. "It's been suggested one of the things the governor might consider is move people from overpasses in the state right of way," Adler said at the time. "I hope he doesn't do that, unless he has places where people can go. I don't want to send them out to the woods. It's even more inhumane for people to be living in the woods or creeks."

A week later, heavy, flood-inducing rain prompted an emergency rescue of homeless people living along an area creek. Amid the multiple high-water rescues on Thursday was one at a creek along the 700 block of North Bluff Drive where police officers rescued a homeless man before moving others from his encampment to safer ground.

In the process of rescuing the man, the first officer at the scene nearly became a drowning victim himself before a colleague threw him a rope to pull both men to safety.

On Monday, Abbott posted photos on social media of him meeting with Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson during which he said the homeless issue in Austin was addressed. The governor did not disclose details about what was discussed.

>>> Read the full story at Austin American-Statesman