North Austin hotels to be purchased to house 150 homeless (brokers, how much)

[texan2yankee]

The Austin city council will vote today, Wednesday, January 27 on the purchase of two hotels to house about 150 of the city's homeless.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/real...cid=uxbndlbing

The hotels reportedly in discussion for purchase are the Candlewood Suites for $9.5 million and the Texas Bungalows Hotel & Suites for $6.7 million.

....if purchased, the hotels will add about 150 new homes for those who are homeless.

[ashbeeigh]

Cue to NIMBY responses. Do you want them on your precious medians or do you want them hidden in hotels?

[Need4Camaro]

I guess the police defundings may have a positive impact. Will be interesting to see how this turns out in the long run.

[ashbeeigh]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

I guess the police defundings may have a positive impact. Will be interesting to see how this turns out in the long run.

What does “defunding” have to do this this? This was in the works pre pandemic.

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by ashbeeigh

Cue to NIMBY responses. Do you want them on your precious medians or do you want them hidden in hotels?

As my brother used to say, those are not mutually exclusive nor jointly exhaustive.

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by ashbeeigh

What does “defunding” have to do this this? This was in the works pre pandemic.

Per the article:

"This is how we pull hundreds of people off the streets and into housing," said Austin City Council Member Greg Casar. "We reinvested dollars from the police department into solutions like this, so that we can have fewer people living under bridges and in creeks. Only homes can solve homelessness."

I know they were purchasing hotels pre-pandemic but my guess is that the defundings enable them to do it faster than their previous trajectory.

[ScoPro]

This action will just encourage more bums to flock to Austin.

$100,000 per “homeless” to give them free housing is going to cost the Austin taxpayers hundreds of millions in the long run. Yet another hike in the continuing rise of property taxes for the working stiffs like my blue collar son who will soon be forced to sell out from his much loved neighborhood.

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by ScoPro

This action will just encourage more bums to flock to Austin.

Where are they really coming from though? I think that alone merits some consideration on the matter. If they are just locals atleast. Maybe some social reform will prevent them from becoming homeless to begin with..

..FWIW though Adler does seem to be considering cleaning some camps up sometime after May

https://www.statesman.com/story/news...ng/6699301002/

Originally Posted by ScoPro

$100,000 per “homeless” to give them free housing is going to cost the Austin taxpayers hundreds of millions in the long run. Yet another hike in the continuing rise of property taxes for the working stiffs like my blue collar son who will soon be forced to sell out from his much loved neighborhood.

In this approach I can understand your concern on the matter.

[Azure110]

16.2 million is a lot of money to spend on 150 homeless people at any given time. We haven't even talked about maintenance costs of these two places.

I guess it would make more sense if you put these 150 homeless to work around the properties.

Work hard, 150 homeless depend on you.

[ScoPro]

The majority of them are not from Austin according to a relative who is a fireman and has dealt firsthand with literally hundreds of them over the past decade and a half.
I trust his word over that of Cabo Adler and anything the city government is told to officially say about this topic.
Has any reporter investigated how much money the partners, friends & family of any of these city powerbrokers are shoveling in through these contracts?

Yes, I’m very cynical after watching the blatant political corruption in this town for 60 years.