Controversial Austin homeless center is moving locations

AUSTIN, Texas - The controversial Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center may have found a new home.

The largest homeless service provider in the city is in the final stages of moving.

Austin City Council member Ryan Alter says the new location is almost 10 times the size of the existing location. But some in the community worry it could do more harm than good.

Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center is moving

The backstory:

The location of the Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center has been a point of controversy for years.

The center serves as a hub for homeless people, offering basic needs like food and clothing, along with health care, substance abuse treatment, and housing resources.

The current site sits across from Joslin Elementary School, along Menchaca Road near Ben White Blvd.

Since 2015, Sunrise has helped as many as 300 people a day. But neighbors have long voiced concerns about the impact on the area.

"I have heard routinely from neighbors that they have found needles or other unsafe items in the park, which is adjacent to the elementary school," said council member Ryan Alter back in July 2024.

This summer, the city announced plans to relocate Sunrise from the current location. Now, it’s in the final stages of securing a new site.

"This organization does great work, it needs a location that is big enough, a location that is a little more insulated from the neighborhood and the parks and the schools and I think that's what we found here," said Alter.

Council member Ryan Alter says the new location would be off I-35 by Oltorf, it's near other homeless services and transportation access. The building was a previous game room.

The nearest school, Travis High school, is across I-35.

"The building itself is much larger than the current facility. And that is really going to help move all the operations indoors. You're not going to see. The outside congregation that you see right now because we're going to be able to have the space to provide all the services and the queuing inside," said Alter.

The other side:

But some neighbors are still worried.

"100% and the concern is that these folks aren't being taken care of where they are most vulnerable, and they hurt people. Hurt people, hurt people," said Brandon Willin, who lives in the neighborhood.

He says the area's large homeless population keeps growing.

"The population's increased. The care has not gotten any better. The people that are suffering from homelessness haven't gotten any better. It has gotten worse. It got more violent. It is getting more aggressive. We have people living in the woods here without access to proper care. They're carrying machetes. They are starting fires," said Willin.

Dig deeper:

Last year, Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton, sued the center, calling it a hotspot for vagrants endangering children.

This week, a judge granted his request to hear arguments about a possible temporary shutdown.

Sunrise sent FOX 7 a statement:

"Sunrise is excited once again to see the City of Austin investing in the full spectrum of what it takes to move people from homelessness to housing and avoiding homelessness altogether.

"These are important strategic steps to help our community reduce the total amount of people living unsheltered in our community which is a goal everyone can get behind." 

Alter says the city is working to ease neighborhood concerns, but the plan is to move forward.

"Now we're talking to neighbors, you know, we want to make sure that they ultimately are comfortable with this, but it is our intention to move forward should that process play itself out, and we get that type of full community buy-in and make sure this is the right acquisition for the city," said Alter.

What's next:

There will be a virtual meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 24, at 6 p.m.

Anyone is welcome to attend. You can find more information, and you can register by clicking here.