Austin's Marshaling Yard to continue operations for another 8 months

AUSTIN, Texas - The Marshaling Yard will continue its operations as a temporary shelter for the homeless for another eight months, due to a unanimous vote from the Austin City Council.

The Marshaling Yard has been operating as a temporary emergency homeless shelter outside the Austin Convention Center Marshaling Warehouse since July 2023.

"It provides critical assistance to hundreds of Austinites every year. Who otherwise wouldn't have this level of support," said David Gray, Homeless Strategy Officer for the City of Austin.

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Gray says the Marshaling Yard is super critical. It currently shelters 300 homeless people daily.

Gray also pointed out some data coming out of the temporary shelter. As successful as it is when it comes to capacity, he did say 20% of clients who left the Marshaling Yard exited into permanent shelters.

"Our bed utilization rate at Marshaling Yard remains high. The nightly average use is 95% of beds, with the unused beds being reserved for other critical system needs, including respite care," said Gray.

The Marshaling Yard will now continue until at least March 2025, but city leaders are still calling for a more permanent solution to take its place before then.