Lifestyle

Homeless Camp in Austin Greenbelt Raises Concerns

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Tony Maples Photography

 

Between Stassney Lane and William Cannon Drive along the Williamson Creek Greenbelt in Austin, a homeless camp has grown substantially in size. Residents in the area contacted KXAN to see the camp so that Austinties and authorities would realize the gravity of the situation.

“We can hear voices all the time from that camp,” resident Richard Sigmon told the news. “It’s a tragedy that this is happening in Austin,” neighbor Stan Pearcy added.

Covered in trash and makeshift places to sleep, the area is home to people who feel they’ve been cast out from society and/or are dealing with intense personal issues. Residents found needles on the ground along with weapons and even a small motorbike.

Unfortunately, this isn’t a new issue. In 2013, KEYE TV reported that authorities were finding around two small homeless camps a week off of trails and picnic areas in the greenbelt. The homeless population in Austin is only growing, and the city must figure out how to improve these situations for everyone involved. KXAN says a new outreach program was instated in July of last year called Homeless Outreach Street Team (HOST), and while they’ve been very busy, they’re only available in the downtown area.