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Council presses DMHHS on Aston cap and encampment closures as shelter beds rise
Summary
At a Jan. 29 oversight hearing, Deputy Mayor Wayne Turnage said the Aston bridge housing site remains capped at 100 residents by prior agreement but could expand toward its 170 capacity if community stakeholders and the mayor support it; Turnage also described a shift to scheduled encampment closures with seven days' notice and increased outreach spending.
Chair Christina Henderson opened the Committee on Health oversight hearing by asking why the Aston bridge housing site remains capped at 100 residents despite a physical capacity of 170. Deputy Mayor Wayne Turnage said the cap was a negotiated posture during a contentious opening and that the administration can revisit it now that the neighborhood commission appears open to dialogue. "We agreed on a 100 person cap," Turnage said, adding that he would relay council interest to the mayor and city administrator.
Turnage told the committee the city has shifted its approach to encampments — moving to scheduled closures that pair closures with shelter offers. He said the outreach posture and frequency of engagements increased in FY25 and that DHS encampment-specific outreach spending rose accordingly. Jamal Weldon, Deputy Chief of Encampments, said contracted outreach partners (Pathways to Housing, Community Connections, Miriam's Kitchen) contributed to the higher FY25 costs. Turnage also confirmed the committee's observation of reduced encampment counts, saying the city moved from roughly 82 encampments in December '24 to roughly 62 with about 88 people and that it will not close encampments without shelter beds available.
