Austin City Council could extend contract for Marshalling Yard homeless shelter

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- At a downtown meeting for leaders of Vocal Texas -- a group of people with lived experience who tackle issues related to homelessness -- it's not hard to find folks familiar with the City of Austin's Marshalling Yard shelter. Many of the group's leaders have stayed there, all know people who have.

A warehouse, originally intended to support the city's convention center, is now used in-part to temporarily shelter some of the most vulnerable people experiencing homelessness in our city.

City Council members initially approved a one-year, $9.1 million contract with Endeavors to run homeless shelter operations at the warehouse until the end of July. Thursday, they could vote to extend the contract by eight months for an additional $1 million.

According to council documents, the Marshalling Yard has already sheltered 596 "unduplicated clients" since its soft opening in August 2023.

Victoria Marshall is one of the roughly 300 people staying at the congregate shelter on any given night. The City of Austin says it's weekly occupancy rate at the shelter is 97%.

"It's just temporary. You only have a year. So I'm just hoping that something comes for the better for me," said Marshall. She helps out at Vocal Texas and has been at the Marshalling Yard since November.

"If authorization of Amendment No. 2 is not approved, the Homeless Strategy Office (HSO) will immediately begin winding-down emergency shelter services at the Austin Convention Center Marshalling Yard Warehouse, which will require the postponement of the HSO’s efforts to connect people experiencing unsheltered homelessness with supportive services," council documents say.

Marshalling Yard outcomes

In a presentation before Austin City Council in February, Austin's Homeless Strategy Officer, David Gray broke down exits from the shelter -- saying less than 30 people were confirmed to have moved to permanent housing from that location. Nearly 200 left to an “unknown destination.”

"We are seeing better outcomes from the Marshalling Yard. Back in January we showed some data that our positive exit rate from the Marshalling Yard was at 10%, as of last month we have doubled that positive exit rate to 20%," Gray updated council Tuesday.

Gray also said people were staying longer at the shelter and that Endeavors had partnered with the Central Texas Food Bank to provide healthy food options to clients.

Gray noted in Februrary that the City is working to standardize discharge policy across all city shelters, whether that be the Marshalling Yard, 8th Street Shelter, ARCH or other city facility.