Overview

• The cross-agency body brings together more than a dozen city, county, state, nonprofit and healthcare partners, including Austin Police, Austin Community Court, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Integral Care, Central Health, ECHO, Trinity Center and Travis County.
• Its mandate centers on curbing inflow into downtown homelessness and increasing transitions from the street into shelter, housing or diversion programs.
• Existing operations continue during the strategy work, including Urban Alchemy’s Homelessness Engagement Assistance Response Team and the multi-agency Homeless Outreach Street Team.
• City reporting shows tents and structures downtown fell from nearly 500 in May 2021 to fewer than 50 in April 2025, while quarterly counts still find roughly 400–500 unhoused people.
• Officials note reports of people being brought to or released onto Austin’s streets, and local coverage reports the initiative has no dedicated funding despite broader homelessness spending.