Council hears pleas to pause sweep expansion as HSO outlines new encampment management teams

The Austin Homeless Strategy & Operations (HSO) office on May 5 described a restructured encampment management approach that would expand daily operations, add teams and create a public dashboard tracking outreach and abatement actions.

David Gray, HSO director, said the recommended model increases homeless encampment management (HEM) capacity from the prior structure to six teams operating five days a week: three geographically focused teams, one focused on roadways/transportation corridors, one on waterways and one dedicated to litter abatement. He described a six‑step encampment management process that emphasizes assessment, outreach and a 72‑hour notice posting prior to cleanup. "This is a process that we created with the goal of providing a consistent response across the city to help reduce health and safety risk at…