City of Austin Resource Guide
Referenced here is an information sheet from the City of Austin listing community resources such as shelter resources, mental health care, and other resources that may be helpful as neighbors ask about helping people experiencing homelessness, or dealing with emergencies. The continuum of care lead, ECHO, has compiled an even more robust resource guide which can be found here. If you would like to make a referral for outreach, the Homelessness Outreach Street Team (HOST) can be reached by calling 512-804-3720 option 3 or by sending an email to: host@austintexas.gov. This team is able to meet the person (or persons) out in the community where they are at, so no need for someone to have to go to a specific place to meet with HOST.
Are you uncertain about calling 311 or 911, in emergencies? The Homeless Strategy Division encourages residents to utilize Austin 3-1-1 to report non-emergency service requests and to call 9-1-1 for emergency situations. The City’s webpage “FAQs about Encampments” also gives helpful information regarding enforcement of the camping ordinance. Encampments on public land are assessed using a tool known as the Homeless Encampment Management (HEM) assessment tool. Each encampment is assessed on a variety of factors to determine priority for cleanup and closure. Encampments that create an immediate public health and safety threat take precedence.
The City of Austin contact, Austin Public Health | Homeless Strategy Division:
Phil Leal, LCSW-S
Public Health Program Manager I
Austin Public Health | Homeless Strategy Division
Email: phil.leal@austintexas.gov
Cell: 512-461-0818