(Credit: KLBJ staff)
The City of Austin made national headlines recently when it loosened its ordinances that had regulated where homeless people could camp around the city. Since that decision, the council and Mayor Steve Adler have faced intense criticism, with many people claiming city leaders have ignored the concerns of Austin residents and businesses. But amid it all, Adler has not been swayed, and this week, he’ll head to one of the nation’s biggest hotbeds of homelessness: Los Angeles.
Based on the most recent census numbers, around 18,000 people call LA’s Skid Row home. Nevertheless, Adler believes America’s second-largest city can still teach Austin a few things about what could be done to further address the problem, which is why he is slated to meet with LA Mayor Eric Garcetti.
His trip comes as more and more photos are being shared online showing homeless camps at Austin’s underpasses growing in size. Last week, one photo showed a person sleeping on a mattress in front of a downtown Austin office building. And on the day the city council changed the ordinance, homeless people were spotted grilling food in the median near Ben White and Congress.
Garcetti is trying to lead a coalition of big city mayors that is calling on Congress to pass the ‘Ending Homelessness Act.’ The legislation, sponsored by democrat Rep. Maxine Waters, would direct more than $13-billion to support the work of cities on the front lines of the homelessness crisis, deliver vservices to homeless residents, and bring the unsheltered indoors, according to a statement from Garcetti’s office.
The City of Austin already spends more than $30-million annually on homelessness, and the city council has already signaled its intent to drive up that number even further.
