The coronavirus outbreak has changed daily life both in America and around the world.
The federal government, states, cities and counties are all working to contain the spread of the virus, to ramp up medical response in our communities, to encourage social distancing and sheltering-in-place, and to protect vulnerable populations.
But one story caught my eye yesterday.
Governor of California Gavin Newsom said that he expects 60,000 homeless individuals in his state could contract coronavirus in the coming weeks. The homeless community is the very definition of a vulnerable population.
From the Reuters story:
Modeling has shown that more than 60,000 homeless people could become ill with the coronavirus in California over the next eight weeks, badly straining the healthcare system, the state governor said on Wednesday.
We all want our homeless population to be safe. We want them off the streets. We want them in sheltered environments. We want to expand and encourage government and nonprofit delivery of services which help them end drug and alcohol abuse and address mental health challenges.
But the simple fact is that homeless camping in public, whether it be in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, New York City, or Austin, is a deadly serious public health threat in a global pandemic.
It is well-documented that City of Austin officials completely ignored public health questions about the camping ordinance. The Mayor and the City Council did nothing to address the human waste and plastic waste created by camping. The result is trash strewn throughout our city, visible in every neighborhood, at every major intersection, across city parks, and in grassy areas on the side of highways. Here's just one example of this.
Has the Mayor or the City Council considered the profound risks to the homeless of community spread of the coronavirus? Has the Mayor or the City Council considered the pressure an outbreak among our homeless population would place on our hospitals? What are they doing about it?
Enough is enough.
It is time to reinstate the ban on public camping in Austin, for the benefit of public safety and public health.
To date, we have collected more than 3,000 hard signatures from Austin residents. To put our ordinance on the November ballot, we must collect 20,000 signatures by July 18.
As you may know, we are nearing 100,000 signatures on our online petition, BUT THESE SIGNATURES DO NOT COUNT!
We must collect 20,000 paper signatures to get on the ballot.
Here's what we need:
1. Please download, print, sign, and mail in your signature form. The single signature form is here. The multiple signature form is here. (If you cannot download or print, please email matt@saveaustinnow.com and we will send you the form directly).
2. We need to raise more money to ensure we collect the 20,000 signatures we need. We have set a $100,000 budget and to date have raised over $11,000 toward that goal. But we need your help. You can securely donate here. You may also make a check to "Save Austin Now" and mail it to 807 Brazos Street, Suite 408, Austin, TX 78701.
We will restore safety and public health to our city!
Thank you for your support,
Matt Mackowiak & Cleo Petricek
Co-founders, Save Austin Now
Learn more: http://www.SaveAustinNow.com