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Advocates urge Travis County to fund family shelter beds, hygiene services and downtown workforce pilot
Summary
Advocates at the Travis County Commissioners Court asked the county to prioritize funding for family shelter beds, showers, laundry and a workforce pilot for unsheltered people downtown, stressing that current capacity forces families apart and that basic hygiene access is limited.
Members of Austin homeless-service organizations and volunteers told the Travis County Commissioners Court on June 17 that the county should target funding to family shelter beds, hygiene services and employment supports in Downtown Austin.
The central plea came from Andy Brower, who identified himself as a Central Presbyterian Church staffer and leader of the Homeless Advocacy Project: "We are asking for funding for more family shelter, for more hygiene facilities, and for a workforce pilot in Downtown Austin." Brower said family shelter capacity is far behind need and cited a single-provider wait list.
The request was echoed by Lynn Williams, executive director of Homemade Austin, who said local schools identified 1,600 homeless students in the 2024–25 school year and warned that "families…
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