HEAL Initiative Houses Another 48

Homeless camp near 183 and Ohlen Road

The City of Austin announced this week that a total of 48 individuals were recently moved from homeless camps into temporary bridge shelters through the Housing-Focused Encampment Assistance Link (HEAL) Initiative.

HEAL carries out closures of homeless camps that pose the highest public health and safety risks. Through the most recent effort, 45 people were moved from a camp at Gustavo “Gus” L. Garcia District Park, and an additional three were moved from a camp at the nearby Asian American Resource Center property.

“The HEAL Initiative is just one part of the City’s response to homelessness, but it’s a critical strategy to compassionately move people from encampments into shelter, with a clear path to housing and services. Utilizing our encampment assessment tool, HEAL continues to focus on assisting those experiencing homelessness in our community.” said City of Austin Homeless Strategy Officer Dianna Grey.

Successful sheltering and resolution of the Gus Garcia Recreation District Park camp was a collaborative effort, the city said.

“PARD proudly supports the HEAL initiative’s progress on City parkland,” said Kimberly McNeeley, Austin Parks and Recreation Department Director. “With many encampments on park property, programs like HEAL are essential to providing housing for persons experiencing homelessness. Through these programs, individuals can gain a foothold towards housing while returning City parkland to public use. It’s crucial that HEAL, and programs like it, continue so all City parkland can be restored to its natural state.”

Since HEAL began in June of 2021, 409 people have reportedly been moved voluntarily from high-risk encampments to Southbridge and Northbridge shelters.

Both camps are now officially closed, and enforcement presence will be maintained while cleanup is conducted.

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