Health status and health care costs for homeless individuals in Austin*[/caption]
On June 1, the Austin Police Department, in collaboration with the Downtown Austin Alliance and other city and county partners, launched the Homelessness Outreach Street Team—a pilot program that aims to change the way the department addresses homelessness.
The HOST program comprises two police officers and a paramedic, as well as a social worker employed by the DAA, who deploy as two teams and connect homeless individuals to essential health and social service resources.
“Downtown Austin Alliance anticipates that the HOST program will have a positive impact in the downtown district because of its proactive approach to helping people from getting to the point of crisis or violating ordinances,” DAA Vice President of Operations Bill Brice said.
The APD responds to calls around the Resource Center for the Homeless downtown as many as 21 times each day, and emergency medical services responds an average of seven times each day, said Commander Pat Cochran, who is overseeing the HOST program. By taking a proactive approach, the city could potentially save time and resources and collect more information about the homeless population in order to better serve it and the city in the future, he said.
During weekdays the HOST teams deploy to the downtown and West Campus areas and distribute items, such as shoes and socks; help individuals complete assessments necessary for social service applications; and provide medical care and transportation to clinics.
After the teams have been active for 90 days, APD will evaluate the program and likely make budget requests to fund its expansion, Cochran said.
“I think this is one of an array of innovative and important strategies that our staff—in partnership with some of the community partners and social service providers—are deploying, and I’m really excited about this effort,” District 9 Council Member Kathie Tovo said. “The hope is we will see the value of [the program].”
