Austin Offers Homeless Storage Areas To Safeguard Belongings

AUSTIN, TX — Austin officials on Friday announced the launch of a program that provides homeless people storage areas to safeguard their belongings while on essential errands.

The Violet KeepSafe Storage site located in the HealthSouth parking garage in downtown Austin provides access to storage for homeless people in enabling them to "...attend service provider appointments, doctor’s appointments, pursue employment, and get some rest without worrying about the safety of their most treasured possessions," city officials said in an advisory.

The new facility is opening with a referral system, assigning 96-gallon violet bins to those referred by the Homeless Outreach Street Team (HOST) or the Downtown Austin Community Court (DACC), according to the advisory. The city is currently making 85 bins available with a goal to expand the program with up to 200 additional carts along with decentralized locations to enable more organizations to refer clients for participation in the program. City officials said they also seek to employing more people with lived experience of homelessness to staff future facilities.

“This operation is all about investing in the health and dignity of our neighbors experiencing homelessness,” Ken Snipes, Director, Austin Resource Recovery said in a prepared statement. “As I saw working with folks in Seattle and was confirmed here by the Austin Homelessness Advisory Council, offering a storage bin and a lock does more than alleviate physical burden or fear of theft. This service builds trust and lines of communication between our institutions and the people who rely on them to build a better life.”

Added Assistant City Manager Chris Shorter: "This is important for anyone going to a job or job interview but who may not want to show up with a shopping cart or a rucksack or backpack full of their personal effects. This is a major step forward for our support system in response to our homeless population. And it's just a first step. Our plan is to add additional sites and carts across the city. We are expanding citywide and will be able to serve hundreds more."

Inspired by similar programs around the country, the Austin version was developed through collaboration by the Office of Design and Delivery, Austin Homeless Advisory Council (AHAC) and members of the Austin design community, city officials said. This included prototyping operations in a parking lot for people experiencing homelessness to give their input and feedback on how it should work, officials added.

Steve Harrell, who had been living unsheltered since 2012, championed development of the program through his role with the Austin Homelessness Advisory Council. Recently housed, he now works at the storage center as a clerk, continuing to shape how this resource best serves the members of our community who still need it. “They got me from the streets and now look where I’m at. It’s a good income job through the City of Austin," he said in a prepared statement. "It’s an insurance policy that I’m making for myself, so I don’t have to come back to homelessness,” Harrell said. “This helping people, that’s all we need to do.”

Officials explained the new program builds on an initiative by FrontSteps, which accepted 157 new purple storage bins from the City of Austin, quadrupling their available storage at the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless (ARCH). While safety during COVID-19 has impacted their availability to offer storage beyond shelter residents, city officials added, those who have used the carts have found the large, waterproof and lockable units helpful.

“Having safe, accessible storage makes it possible for our clients to hold onto meaningful items, often received as donations, like full sized blankets, without carrying around that bulk and weight year-round," Amy Price, Director of Development and Communications at Front Steps said in a prepared statement. "It’s also a place to store clothes and work boots for when they find work in kitchens or construction. Not only does it reduce the physical strain of carrying every belonging in bags, but it helps individuals avoid the stares or other negative reactions from people who immediately recognize someone as homeless when they are carrying all of their possessions with them.”

The Violet KeepSafe Storage program highlights ways in which the city is supporting the most vulnerable residents, city officials noted. During COVID-19, the City of Austin is following Centers for Disease Control guidelines to allow people who are living unsheltered, or in encampments, to remain where they are at this time, to minimize community spread of the disease and maximize access to services, officials added, noting that individuals found in violation of applicable laws that lead to the erosion of public health and safety or who are in unsafe areas may be asked to relocate. When individuals are asked to relocate, the city will make efforts to ensure that they are offered and connected to appropriate services, officials said.