Global Courant
Officials in Austin, Texas, have begun rehoming homeless people in the Gaines Creek area after a resident made headlines last week for exposing environmental degradation at the camp.
The city said on Tuesday it has begun relocating people as part of an initiative to close homeless camps that pose the greatest risks to public health and safety.
Austin Mayor Pro Tem Paige Ellis said the need to move was “very clear” after a tour of the encampment.
“There are a lot of people living there who are in dire need of emergency shelter and resources,” she said. “With evidence of campfires for cooking or warmth, wildfire protection was a critical priority.”
CALIFORNIA VETERAN REVEALS HER SOLUTIONS FOR RESOLVING SAN DIEGO’S HOMELESS CRISIS
Austin city officials clean up a homeless camp. (City of Austin)
The city said homeless people are “voluntarily moving” from unsheltered encampments to city shelters, where they are enrolled in longer-term housing programs. Officials said they plan to conduct an extensive cleanup at the encampment site.
CALIFORNIA VETERAN REVEALS HER SOLUTIONS FOR RESOLVING SAN DIEGO’S HOMELESS CRISIS
The initiative comes after a Fox News Digital story last week reported on a series of videos by Austin resident Jaime Hammonds showing environmental damage from a homeless camp along the Violet Crown Trail.
The videos, shot by Hammonds himself, showed piles of trash strewn as far as the eye could see in the process. Hammonds reported seeing cars, trailers, mountains of trash, needles, human waste, and hundreds of homeless people.
Global Courant
“I just want to say that I appreciate the city finally stepping in and providing housing for the people living in the camp,” Hammonds said of the city’s latest initiative. “I am also grateful that our work not only helps people who are homeless, but also the environment we all live in and enjoy.”
Bradford Betz is a Fox News Digital breaking reporter covering crime, political issues and much more.
