Group says it has enough signatures to put Austin's homelessness ordinances on the November ballot
A GOP-backed group says it’s collected enough signatures to put a reversal of the city’s homeless ordinances on the ballot in November.
Save Austin Now, a coalition led by longtime strategist and Travis County GOP Chair Matt Mackowiak, announced Monday it has turned in 24,087 signatures for its petition to reinstate bans on camping, panhandling and sitting or resting in public in certain areas of the city.
City Council voted in June 2019 to scale back city laws that regulate behavior related to homelessness. Supporters of that decision argued that the laws criminalized homelessness and that similar laws have been struck down as unconstitutional in federal courts in cities without adequate shelter space. The number of people experiencing homelessness in Austin hit a 10-year high this year, and the number of unsheltered Austinites increased 45 percent compared to 2019, according to the city’s annual census.
Officials say that’s partly because shelters like the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless have moved away from overnight sleeping, requiring clients to participate in case-management services in the hopes of transitioning to permanent housing.
Read more: https://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2020/07/group-says-it-has-enough-signatures-to-put-austins-homelessness-ordinances-on-the-november-ballot/
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