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Austin, Texas (RoschetzkyIstockPhoto / Getty Images)
As the progressive Texas city said “enough” with poor public camping policies.
Austin, texas, enjoys a well-deserved image as a cool, fast-growing city with great food, nightlife, a booming technology industry, the University of Texas, and major events like the Austin City Limits music festival, South by Southwest, and Formula 1. But for the past two years it has earned a new reputation: a city with a homeless crisis fueled by a mendacious “camping” policy.
On July 1, 2019, a public camping ordinance went into effect making unregulated, open public camping legal in almost all public spaces in Austin. The consequences were immediate and profound. Homeless shelters were emptied, homeless people began traveling to Austin, large camps were built at major intersections, and even Town Lake, one of the most beautiful and popular areas in our city, was inundated with tents and makeshift camps.
Austin promoted vagrancy as a lifestyle choice and did nothing to prepare for the aftermath of political change. We both disagree on national politics at all, but when we met about two years ago it quickly became clear that grassroots activism led by citizens was the only way to save Austin from a failed city like Los Angeles or San Francisco to become.
We founded Save Austin Now, our non-partisan non-profit organization dedicated to educating voters about urban politics and living standards. We have been doing this for almost two full years.
In September 2019 we learned that with our current city council it would never be possible to campaign for the reintroduction of the camping ban. In February 2020, we launched a petition to put an ordinance reinstating the Austin public camping ban on the ballot.
On our first attempt (which is the subject of active litigation), we were denied certification of the 20,000 required signatures. In December 2020 we started a second round. After just 50 days, we collected 30,000 and submitted 27,000 validated signatures. In February we were certified for the May 1st elections.
After a ten-week campaign, our sister organization Save Austin Now PAC secured a landslide election victory in Austin (58-42 percent) with more than 156,000 votes in a low-turnout local election with no local candidates on the ballot. That result came in a city with just 21 percent Republican voters.
In the end, we won the votes of at least 40 percent of Democrats, at least 85 percent of Independents, and at least 90 percent of Republicans. This is what a winning coalition looks like. If a victory like this is possible in Austin, one of America’s most advanced cities, then it is possible anywhere. The necessary ingredients were these: a true non-partisan partnership; a focus on data, organization, volunteer recruitment, fundraising, and efficient voter contact; and absolute intransigence.
Homelessness is an annoying challenge. It involves sensitive topics like mental health, drug and alcohol addiction, professional training, and another topic that is often ignored: non-compliance.
Part of the homeless population does not comply with local ordinances and laws and refuses to accept housing or services. This is a narrow segment of the population but requires a bespoke solution that starts with enforcing existing laws.
From the start, we believed that wanting a city that was safe for both the homeless and its residents shouldn’t be asking too much. But that was asking too much for our city guides.
Nine out of ten councilors and our mayor resisted our efforts. The architect, Councilor Greg Casar and our Mayor, Steve Adler, campaigned aggressively for the continuation of the disastrous ordinance on public camping sites.
We estimate that our homeless population has doubled from 2,500 to 5,000 in the past two years. Meanwhile, our city’s public safety, public health, tourism and image have been damaged. Every neighborhood, every major intersection, every city park, every hotel, restaurant, condominium building and apartment building is negatively affected by this policy.
Worst of all, our homeless people live in unsafe, unsanitary, and unregulated campsites, where huge amounts of human and physical waste are piled up, hard drugs are sold, and where predators commit knife wounds, violent assaults and even rape on a daily basis. Despite these sobering facts, our guides refused to admit this reality.
Should it take 23 months to overturn a policy 58 percent oppose? We were ready to invest this time and energy. Not everyone would be. Now our city is focusing on current, proven solutions for homelessness.
In Austin we have two shining examples: Community First Village, operated by Mobile Loaves and Fishes, which has more than 500 tiny and microhomes on-site and is a fantastic example of tackling homelessness by bringing community, the dignity that comes with work, and reinstatement provides the social contract that governs all productive life. Similarly, Camp Esperanza, on Texas state donated land and operated by The Other Ones Foundation, is building 238 temporary structures to provide the homeless with safe shelter for peaceful sleep, running water and electricity, and privacy Property.
If your city is in crisis, you should repeat our approach. We are happy to help you with what we have learned. Unregulated camping is not good for anyone.
Matt Mackowiak and Cleo Petricek are co-founders of Save Austin Now, a nonprofit education organization focused on educating residents about living standards.
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