For Immediate Release Media Contact:
Matt Mackowiak / Cleo Petricek | (512) 423-6116 / (972) 639-7926
August 2, 2021
Save Austin Now PAC Announces Objective Criteria for Safe, Regulated Homeless Encampments
Opposes Proposed Sites on Convict Hill Road, Manor Road; Seeks Safe Sites from Public
AUSTIN, TX — Today nonpartisan nonprofit Save Austin Now PAC is releasing objective criteria for regulated homeless encampments, as the City of Austin continues enforcement of Prop B, which passed 58-42% on May 1st and reinstated the public camping ban. The criteria clearly shows that the proposed sites on Convict Hill Road in Southwest Austin and on Manor Road in Northeast Austin are unsafe for neighborhoods and should be canceled.
According to the Save Austin Now criteria, a safe, regulated homeless encampment:
Should BE GREATER THAN one mile to a school, park, walking trail, senior center or child care facility
Should BE WITHIN a 1/2 mile of a pharmacy or a medical facility
Should not be in a neighborhood with homes on any side or within a 1/2 mile of residential homes
Should be self-enclosed with SECURITY on-site
Should BE WITHIN 1/2 mile of public transportation
Should have electricity, water, showers, and toilets
Should have access to wrap-around services, including drug and alcohol treatment, mental health treatment, and case management
Should have small lockers for individuals to store their valuables
“The city of Austin has utterly and catastrophically failed to identify safe and workable regulated camping sites for more than two years,” said Save Austin Now co-founder Matt Mackowiak. “After admitting 76 of their 78 proposed sites cannot work, now they are scrambling, selecting sites near schools and senior housing and in neighborhoods. These objective criteria, if followed, will lead to successful, sustainable regulated encampments that will be safe for both residents and the homeless. Common sense is pretty rare at City Hall, but we hope Austinites will rise up and demand these criteria be followed.”
“For two years we have worked to make Austin safer for everyone, but especially for working-class families,” said Save Austin Now co-founder Cleo Petricek. “What we have released is common sense and once implemented, it will restore confidence among Austinites that regulated encampments will not become unsafe and unsanitary like the unregulated encampments clearly were.
With the release of these criteria, Save Austin Now PAC is announcing it will oppose the proposed sites at 4011 Convict Hill Road and 3511 Manor Road. Both sites have drawn massive local opposition, leading the two local council members to delay consideration of these sites.
4011 Convict Hill Road
Pros:
Bus stop ID: 3221 .5 mile (11min walk) @ 7201 Brodie/Convict Hill
Cons:
0.3 mile from Covington Middle School
0.8 mile (17 min walk) 3 turns, across William Cannon
0.6 mile (13 min walk) 2, turns, not crossing any major road to Walgreens
**One would have to go around the middle school to access either Walgreens or HEB
.5 mile (9 min walk) to Children's Discovery Center South, 3515 Convict Hill Rd, Austin, TX 78749
3511 Manor Road
Pros:
0.1 mile: Baha'i Faith-Austin Church
0.1 mile: American Red Cross, Pershing Drive, Austin, TX
0.1 mile: FastMed Urgent Care, 3607 Manor Rd #100
0.1 miles and .2 miles from bus stops (3504 Manor/Greenwood: Stop ID: 6289 and Manor/Anchor (Stop ID: 1636)
1 mile: Grocery, H-E-B, 1801 E 51st St, Austin, TX 78723
Cons:
0.1 mile: Pediatric dentist
0.2 mile: Green Sprout Preschool, 2108 E M. Franklin Ave
0.2 mile: Wildflower Terrace Senior Apartments, 3801 Berkman Dr
0.5 miles: Ella Wooten Park where kids from Mueller play basketball and swim
0.9 mile: Thinkery Children's Museum
1 mile: Maplewood Elementary School
1.1 mile: Extend-A-Care for Kids
1.4 mile: Dell Children's Medical Center, 4900 Mueller Blvd
Save Austin Now PAC is soliciting safe encampment locations from the public, which meet these criteria, by asking anyone to submit locations here. These sites will be researched, submitted to City Council, and publicly released as soon as possible.
“Unregulated camping was destroying our city, and the voters clearly expressed their opposition on May 1,” said Mackowiak. “It is now time for the City to rationally, thoughtfully, transparently, and professionally identify workable and safe sites to ensure our homeless are safe and receiving services.”
“Once again, the citizens will have to do the job that the City Council appears incapable or unwilling to do,” said Petricek. “We want our city to be safe again and we demand real solutions for our homeless.”
To learn more about Save Austin Now PAC, please visit http://www.SaveAustinNowPAC.com.