Dear neighbor,

The Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center has drawn national attention for endangering its South Austin community. On October 9th, Austin’s City Council will vote on the first step in scaling the “Sunrise model” citywide.

This first step includes expediting Sunrise’s expansion and relocation within 1 mile of the South Congress tourist corridor. Per the Austin American-Statesman, the Homeless Strategy Office has publicly stated that the next step will include bringing “homeless navigation hubs” to all major neighborhoods across Austin. So far, the planning and execution of this scaling effort has been done without transparency, accountability, or meaningful community engagement.

If this is concerning to you, we must act quickly. 

Fast Facts: Scaling Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center Across Austin

Since its opening, crime in the area surrounding the Sunrise Center has reportedly increased by 5,283%. 
Instead of addressing Sunrise’s challenges, this relocation agenda has been fast-tracked with the buying and rezoning of a property at Oltorf & I‑35, a densely populated residential area (with a high school 500 feet away), rather than an opting for an industrial location. 

An impact study on this location has not been conducted and there is no operational plan for the facility, no neighbor protections, and no equitable site‑selection framework.

The city would spend $4.3M on this site alone, despite deep cuts to AISD and many city owned buildings sitting empty.
This relocation is the first step in a larger initiative to scale the Sunrise model across Austin.

The next step is to open homeless services mega-facilities, like the Sunrise Center, in every major neighborhood across Austin. 

The October 9th vote will initiate the first step in this agenda.

Our Requests to the City

We must act now. We are asking the Members of the City Council to request that this item be pulled from the City Council's October 9th agenda until three things can be provided:

Transparency: Publish a plan with site selection criteria, safety/crime mitigation, and enforcement. 
Accountability: Tie services to measurable outcomes; define distinct strategies for families vs. chronically unhoused and community integration. 
Community Partnership: Learn from Sunrise failures; meaningfully co-design locations with neighbors and community services  to prevent harm and end the “hot‑potato” approach.

Take Action

Forward this email to five Austin residents, the more geographic diversity the better. 

Reply to atxrealheal@gmail.com if you would like to volunteer for phone banking. 

Email ALL City Council Members (emails are listed below) this simple, direct text:

Dear Council Member- 

I am writing to urge you to POSTPONE the October 9th agenda item regarding the City’s acquisition of the I-35 and Oltorf facility for the intended purpose of a Homeless Navigation Center. This is our city’s chance to properly help homelessness, it cannot be rushed and must be thoroughly and thoughtfully devised. 

district1@austintexas.gov,

natasha.madison@austintexas.gov

district2@austintexas.gov,

vanessa.fuentes@austintexas.gov

district3@austintexas.gov,

jose.velasquez@austintexas.gov

district4@austintexas.gov,

chito.vela@austintexas.gov

district5@austintexas.gov,

ryan.alter@austintexas.gov

district6@austintexas.gov,

krista.laine@austintexas.gov

district7@austintexas.gov,

mike.siegel@austintexas.gov

district8@austintexas.gov,

paige.ellis@austintexas.gov

district9@austintexas.gov,

zo.qadri@austintexas.gov

district10@austintexas.gov,

marc.duchen@austintexas.gov