Austin City Council set to take up proposal to buy second hotel to house homeless
AUSTIN, Texas - Austin City Council is set to take up a proposal Thursday to buy a second hotel to house the homeless, and another that would effectively ban camping in certain areas.
Council is expected to take a vote on whether to purchase the Candlewood Suites in Pecan Park Boulevard in Northwest Austin, with a price tag of more than $9 million. The decision was delayed from last week at the request of council member Mackenzie Kelly.
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This second hotel has garnered much more controversy than the Texas Bungalows Hotel, which City Council last week committed to buying for $6.7 million for the same purpose.
Also Thursday, Austin City Council is expected to consider and vote on the HEAL (Housing Encampment Assistance Link) Initiative. It would target certain areas of Austin to connect people camping there with housing, but also ban camping in those specific areas once folks are re-housed.