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Downtown commission recommends funding for 24-hour Oasis access on weekend nights to aid people experiencing homelessness
Summary
The Austin Downtown Commission passed a recommendation asking City Council to appropriate $75,000 annually to keep the Oasis — an outdoor service area at the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless — open overnight on weekend nights, and approved a small wording amendment before the vote.
The Austin Downtown Commission voted Aug. 20 to recommend that City Council fund 24‑hour overnight access to the Oasis at the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless on weekend nights, citing the Oasis’s role as a daytime refuge and the weekend influx of visitors to the nearby entertainment district.
What the commission recommended
The written recommendation read into the record described the Oasis as a daytime outdoor refuge that provides showers, rest space and connections to services and said that Oasis users are currently required to leave at 7 p.m. The recommendation said that with adequate funding the Oasis could remain open 24 hours and urged Council to appropriate $75,000 per year to provide 24‑hour access on Friday and Saturday nights with associated services.
Amendment and vote
During discussion a commissioner proposed a minor reordering of clauses in the recommendation so the language reads more clearly; that change was moved, seconded and approved as an amendment. The commission then voted on the recommendation as amended; the chair called the motion and the commission approved it. Commissioners said they had previously toured the Oasis and described it as an important service in the downtown homeless response system.
Selected details from the recommendation and presentation
- The recommendation cited an increase in first-time requests for homelessness services and said nearly one in three people experiencing homelessness in Austin-Travis County are chronically homeless (language taken from the recommendation as read into the record).
- The recommendation estimated the annual cost to provide 24‑hour access on Friday and Saturday nights at $75,000 per year and urged City Council to appropriate that amount.
Context and next steps
The recommendation is advisory: the Downtown Commission urged City Council to direct the city manager to appropriate funds. Commissioners discussed whether weekend coverage should be a first step toward restoring seven-day, 24‑hour Oasis service; they did not change the recommendation to require seven-day service. The commission’s action will be forwarded to council for consideration.
Ending
Commissioners said the Oasis provides dignity and connections to services and that weekend overnight coverage would give people an alternative to being on the streets near Austin’s entertainment district on busier weekend nights.
