Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center will not be relocating to proposed new location

Neighbors concerned over future homeless center

The Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center will not be moving to a new proposed center in South Austin, despite initially being told it would.

AUSTIN, Texas - The Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center will not be moving to a new proposed center in South Austin, despite initially being told it would.

The community around the original site is reacting to the change in messaging from city leaders.

Homeless center controversy

Confusion on proposed homeless center in South Austin

There are new details on the proposed housing navigation center in South Austin that has brought pushback from the community.

The backstory:

Last month, Austin City Council member Ryan Alter told FOX 7 that Sunrise would be relocating to a new city-run center off I-35 and Oltorf. But earlier this week, Alter confirmed that the move isn’t happening, at least not yet.

"No, we're not purchasing this and saying that we are only doing this for Sunrise, and this is going to be just a specially carved out Sunrise operation. We are identifying the need for these navigation services, seeing what's happening at sunrise, given that they don't have the space and the facility to do this and recognizing as we go through the process they might participate in that process, but it will go through that process," said Alter. 

Neighborhood pushes back on homeless center

The city of Austin is eyeing a new site for a Homeless Navigation Center. While the city has not announced which nonprofit will run the center, it has brought on some confusion.

Sunrise is the largest provider of homeless services in Travis County.

Since 2015, the Sunrise Navigation Center has helped as many as 300 people a day.

"The bottom line here is, we are building the capacity that we need to serve more individuals today in Austin. We have more housing opportunities and more housing resources to help people get off the street and stay off the streets than we’ve ever had before, and we also have more shelter beds than ever before," said David Gray, the Homeless Strategy officer with the city. 

Dig deeper:

Still, the site hasn’t been without controversy.

Last year, the state filed a lawsuit against Sunrise, claiming the facility contributes to crime and drug activity in the area. With Sunrise staying put, some parents say they’re disappointed.

Parents speak out

There were mixed emotions for families at Joslin Elementary School. Some were frustrated and others were indifferent.

"We find needles in the playground, human feces, we find things that just really aren’t appropriate, said Allison Cassel, a Joslin Elementary parent.

Cassel, a mother of three at Joslin Elementary, says she supports Sunrise’s mission, but not its location.

Pushback against homeless center's new location

Tensions were high over the possible relocation of a controversial homeless navigation center. People gathered for an in-person meeting on the new location.

"We support what they are doing, but we really don’t think it’s a good fit to have it right across the street from the elementary school," said Cassel.

Other parents say the decision doesn’t change much for them.

"It doesn’t bother me that much, because the school is so heavily gated, and so I myself haven’t experienced any possible risk with it."

"I would say more of a neutral thing, like I get what they are trying to do and like the cause for it, "said Joslin Elementary parent Casandra Andrews.

What's next:

The city’s new proposed site is located off I-35 and Oltorf at what used to be a game room. It says the area offers good transit access, limited impact on nearby homes, and no public parks close by.

It’s unclear who will operate the future center, but Alter says Sunrise has shown interest.

The city is expected to vote on the purchase of the site Thursday. If it's approved, they'll begin the process of looking for an operator.