The homeless are coming for the burbs (Austin, Cesar Chavez: foreclosures, crime)

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by riaelise

Great Hills though is serviced by bus, which provides easy access. That's part of the problem. There are many areas of Wilco that are inaccessible, including Round Rock. People were very concerned about panhandlers when bus service was introduced, but the pros definitely outweighed the cons. My area, though, has no bus service and won't for the foreseeable future, though Kalahari might change that. I've seen the occasional panhandler around the bus depot in downtown RR but nowhere near the level as Austin.

Round Rock is purple politically, but homeless shelters are very unpopular and the limited transit and fewer roadways aren't conducive to large homeless settlements.

I've found Wilco to be very homeless unfriendly, either through policy, geography, or public sentiment.

I think it’s all of the above. There is a very distinct line where the homeless camps end on both I-35 and U.S 183.

[Trainwreck20]

Oh, yeah, another homeless thread....

[Swizzle Stick]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

Oh, yeah, another homeless thread....

Well, stop voting for Democrats, and we'll stop bringing up the homeless problem.

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by Swizzle Stick

Well, stop voting for Democrats, and we'll stop bringing up the homeless problem.

Being realistic though if we all voted red what would then happen to them? Are we just going to bus them off or hide them in the forests? It’s awesome that Abbott stepped in and made an encampment for them and sad that Adler isn’t following through but would Abbott have truly done that had it not been for it becoming such a publicized and major issue here and having to deal with Democrats? I personally believe they would likely turn a blind eye to the entire problem.

It’s a problem that needs serious attention but unfortunately both parties seem not to address the concern properly.

[ScoPro]

Speaking of that state-sponsored homeless camp Abbott set up in SE Austin, is it still operating? I have not seen any recent news about it at all.

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by ScoPro

Speaking of that state-sponsored homeless camp Abbott set up in SE Austin, is it still operating? I have not seen any recent news about it at all.

I know little about it, was it founded between the ordeal between Adler and Abbott when Adler opened up vast swaths of public sectors for camping ground and Abbott ended up cleaning up camps? If so, I feel it was nothing more than a political move intended for public visibility.

[Scrat335]

Your not the only ones. I've been assigned the Bellevue Wa area for my work and since about July there's a definite uptick in the homeless. I've seen a few needles but nothing like Seattle.

Looks like government has to start competing with the private sector or we will never solve the problem.

[Austinite101]

Republicans in this city don't care about the homeless, they just don't want to have to look at them. The most common position of Republicans here regarding the homeless is to make it illegal, not spend a dime of taxpayer money, and get them out of their sight.

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by Scrat335

Your not the only ones. I've been assigned the Bellevue Wa area for my work and since about July there's a definite uptick in the homeless. I've seen a few needles but nothing like Seattle.

Looks like government has to start competing with the private sector or we will never solve the problem.

Used to work in Bothell and also used to commute to Bellevue Square Mall area. I miss Seattle. It was by far the most beautiful metro I’ve ever lived in. I used to commute via The Sounder and also the Busses, visited Transit Tunnel pretty often too. Tacoma WA and hilltop area at that time were filled with homeless people, like to a decree that Austinites could only dream of, you were literally stepping over them every step of your walk. Seattle proper and Bellevue however were pretty clean. This was around the time that they removed the free transit zone in Downtown Seattle I’m guessing because they were having problems with homeless hopping free rides. I’m sure it was an issue back then but it was nothing like it is today, even Austin’s homeless camp issue seems to have gotten worse than what Seattle was back then. Tacoma however is a different story.

I heard Amazon may consider moving out of Seattle proper to Bellevue due to Seattle’s city council.

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

It was a pretty surprising turnout for me as well but it may not be a clear indicator of permanent change. A lot of people voted blue not so much because they support Biden or the Democratic Party but because they did not support Trump.

That plus a lot of people who normally wouldn’t or do not vote, voted this year due to the heightening political tensions in this nation.

I also haven’t noticed any camps around 45 / I-35



I completely support providing help, shelter, social services to the homeless but I completely disagree with pushing them off for the general public to deal with as seen by what the city council seems to be doing. The general public is not at fault for their circumstances and in no way should be liable to deal with the situation first hand. My ultimate guess is the council wants the problem to be exposed long enough for the public to become ill of it and then propose a ‘tax’ to clean up the problem where the council may be capable of obtaining more financial resources to handle the matter, whether that may or may not be successful I’m unsure of.

Casar's goal is to put it in your face and make it our problem so that we vote for funding to solve it. I dont like it, but it isnt a bad strategy.