Ending Community Homelessness Coalition

The new system sends urgent information, like where to find shelter during a cold snap, directly to a person's cellphone. More than 3,500 people received the first alerts last week, the city says.

Dianne Grey took over as the city was grappling with record high numbers of people experiencing homelessness and in the midst of a deadly pandemic.

Local nonprofits provide extra relief for those experiencing homelessness during heat waves. But advocates say more needs to be done year-round.

Advocates say the issue is much larger than adding more shelter beds. Permanent solutions are needed.

The city approved a contract with a California-based nonprofit that faces a handful of lawsuits back home. Service providers say the city moved too quickly.

"Every person has a role to play in supporting folks who are living outside," ECHO spokesperson Chris Davis said.

Austin's point-in-time count will instead rely on service requests to tally the number of unsheltered people living in the city.

The St. David's Foundation has awarded ECHO a $2 million grant for a two-year 12-person project to better connect marginalized Austinites with housing services.

Roughly 2,500 homeless people sleep in shelters or outdoors in Austin on a given night. That estimate comes from the "point-in-time" count, an annual…

The Austin City Council delayed a $7.8-million plan to buy and renovate a Montopolis-area hotel and retrofit it to house Austinites transitioning out of…