6th Street homelessness pilot program helps nearly 200 people in first month

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A pilot program that launched last month has connected 180 people living on the streets downtown with homeless shelters and services, according to the Downtown Austin Alliance.

As part of the plan, employees from the nonprofit Urban Alchemy walk up and down Sixth Street – and some adjacent streets – during the daytime hours from Monday through Friday, connecting with people experiencing homelessness in the area.

It’s called the HEART initiative and is privately funded through the Downtown Austin Alliance.

“Build trust and relationships, understand their needs,” Bill Brice, with the Downtown Austin Alliance, said.

The goal, he added, is twofold: to provide resources to these individuals and improve public safety downtown.

It’s a pilot program – and still early on – so there’s no measurement of long-term success just yet, but Brice said they’ve already made some changes.

“We started our team out there at 9:30 a.m., 3-and-a-half hours after our ambassadors and APD resources were on the street, and what we recognized is by the time the [Urban Alchemy] team was responding to those calls about three hours later, most of the people [experiencing homelessness] were gone, so we changed the hours,” Brice said. “We’re trying to be fluid, use this as the test it’s supposed to be to learn and understand.”

Examples of people finding success with downtown shelters

On Tuesday afternoon, Alfred Stewart ran up to KXAN’s camera with a huge smile on his face.

“This place saved my life,” he said about the ARCH, one of downtown’s primary shelters.

Speaking to him further, we learned just over three weeks ago, he was in the throes of addiction.

“I found something that really cared about me and about my recovery,” he said.

Now, he’s three weeks sober and already has a job working at Roppolo’s Pizza just down the street. He said he hopes other people get the same help he did.

“Accept them and embrace them, no matter what clothes they’re wearing or what have you, and give them a shot of civilization again,” Stewart said.

A challenge of the pilot program – can be getting people to accept help.

“Some people like to choose to live like this,” said Elisa, who also stays at a downtown shelter. She started staying downtown after her husband died, and says she now feels supported and on the way to getting back on her feet.

“They have helped me a lot,” she said.

The pilot program will run through July.