[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6496775,"mediaKeyId","5546034-31498b01dbd3b2063d5a2e3ccecc7270","parentId",5546034,"title","Sobering Center seeks operating funds to open second‑floor expansion; county paid renovations, CEO says","audioSeconds",1130,"startMs",1289000,"endMs",2419000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5546034-31498b01dbd3b2063d5a2e3ccecc7270&start=1289&end=2419","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5546034-31498b01dbd3b2063d5a2e3ccecc7270/thumbnail_1289000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6496775/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/Sobering-Center-seeks-operating-funds-to-open-secondfloor-expansion-county-paid-renovations-CEO-says","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6496775-6a26fedb11383f360b19bc23c2732424/orig.mp4?Expires=1770769075&Signature=MJr9-SZmJfeAFNAg2EWGCAseATwU7LRw771-u4GRswkseKA2KjvICu16sZSgXxI4Eb1u5-tr3WCzwzd3GNDCqR4DNLN1MysNP-pvhP~vMSXtS0rL8VXZKWHZSnpB1WW-UwM6yrChGrzvuTM~4IVpwYCJnbTu1qHx7Z0gn~Ht5oT4uA7E~QMJNfdf-~KLcBwifRSzsLH4qQSJMb84MTogJGFu40~fJRyduy5TBuMj70r9Ec-SSAorPtTqDZTyzWf6gWyxVwStxgjl5KsFH-3V78ApyTyMBmFOnJaHEWgBO6ytVScV4uPFDFsvH5bSSGfLszl4slLqXHFZF84fmTSm9g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Austin","date","2025-08-06T00:00:00Z","article","Laura LeBlanc, chief executive officer of the Sobering Center, told the Austin Public Health Committee Wednesday that a county‑funded renovation of the center’s second floor is complete and ready for staff, but the center needs city operating funds to open it.

LeBlanc said the center, which opened in 2018 under an interlocal agreement between the city and Travis County, has conducted about 13,000 intakes since it began and operates \"24/7, 365.\" The planned second‑floor opening would move sober clients who are waiting for treatment beds off the first floor and create space to accept more intoxicated intakes from first responders, she said.

\"We are open 24/7, 365,\" LeBlanc told the committee. \"The Second Floor is ready to go. The county paid to renovate the building and also to furnish it, put security cameras in it, put technology in it… We just have to hire the staff to open it.\"

LeBlanc said the center submitted a $2,800,000 FY26 operating request to the city, including enhancements, but that the city manager’s proposed budget cut the enhancement packages and set a $2.4 million figure. She said Council Member Vela later placed the center’s operating request and enhancement items into a tax rate election (TRE) budget item that will go before council.

The second floor was renovated with leftover ARPA funds from the county and includes a dorm and three private rooms; LeBlanc said it would be a location to hold sober clients who have been assessed and are awaiting treatment placements. She described the center’s recent practice of arranging transportation to treatment — sometimes outside Austin — when local detox beds are unavailable, saying the center now performs that placement work about 200 times per year when beds can be found.

LeBlanc told the committee that the center has broadened allowable referrals beyond law enforcement and EMS to roughly 90 referral partners, including hospitals, the university and social service agencies. She said law enforcement and EMS remain the top two referral sources.

On funding and partnerships, LeBlanc said Central Health has begun contracting with the sobering center for certain clients who are MAP‑eligible and staying past a specified period; Central Health is also part of the center’s plan to help open the second floor. LeBlanc described the center as an independent local government corporation and a 501(c)(3), with operating funding historically provided by the city and capital improvements provided by the county under the interlocal agreement.

LeBlanc also said an outside cost‑benefit analysis shows the center returns roughly $2 for every $1 invested through diversions from emergency care or jail. She urged committee members to support a sustainable funding solution, raise concerns about the budget negotiation process tied to the interlocal agreement, and said the center needs clarity on the budget process so operating dollars are aligned with actual costs.

Why it matters: the center is a point of diversion from emergency rooms and jail for people with severe intoxication, provides bridge medications and other on‑site medical services, and its ability to open the renovated second floor depends on a recurring operating budget that the city must provide under the interlocal agreement.

No committee vote was taken on the sobering center budget at Wednesday's meeting; members discussed the center’s funding request and the interlocal agreement during the briefing.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Austin - Public Health Committee","oneSentenceSummary","Laura LeBlanc, chief executive officer of the Sobering Center, told the Austin Public Health Committee Wednesday that a county‑funded renovation of the center’s second floor is complete and ready for staff, but the center needs city operating funds to open it.","taxTitle","Austin, Travis County, Texas","taxId",2819,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6496780,"Public Health Committee hears update on Marshaling Yard shelter; capacity now 282, 29% positive exit rate",644,114000,758000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5546034-31498b01dbd3b2063d5a2e3ccecc7270&start=114&end=758","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5546034-31498b01dbd3b2063d5a2e3ccecc7270/thumbnail_114000.jpg","/articles/6496780/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/Public-Health-Committee-hears-update-on-Marshaling-Yard-shelter-capacity-now-282-29-positive-exit-rate","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6496780-4605092a1fb0a06ab94fc9f44d1510b4/orig.mp4?Expires=1770769075&Signature=L803~Dvq2NCIaTidxf4P9qjtt8q00AWnNbPLMSaI8fWaRGta5NdzaFwEQB3iHDnTPApSwkNoqERjZ~gwD67I03MIicX2-TqX9uZaJxsBd2MfKvqB~MykoMGVHZiVGsv-AfBwjflP4gkIxe88oulCPnd6v0BRoke-q50vEPciGMlxCNmjzZA1K9fkoWJnOHQVA5VDGnWIp~P8-Bde0P0zbE5Kn4kxox6D4sgjt79Sc5V86YaYIbc3LVIrxSIbpEmimN430eorEglOJgdbCD~ytlAMsevCeNv5I8oMGTGaUnpghz6rzOlVhwJYtPaSGkc28zdQtEK17enhmPdEy0B1cg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Austin Public Health Committee received an update Wednesday on the Marshaling Yard, a temporary shelter for people experiencing homelessness that opened in August 2023 and has served about 1,323 people, city staff said.

The update, presented by Greg McCormack, program manager for Homeless Strategy Operations, focused on current capacity and services, staffing levels, outcomes and next steps as the city balances short‑term shelter needs with plans for longer‑term shelter capacity.

McCormack said the facility opened in August 2023 and that Endeavors has been the operator from the start. \"We used to have a capacity of 300 there. We now have a capacity of 282,\" he said, attributing the change to the convention center reclaiming some of the building for storage. He told the committee the yard has served roughly 1,323 individuals since opening and that the Marshaling Yard’s positive exit — people who left to housing or stable arrangements — is 29 percent.

McCormack described services provided at the site: three meals a day through a partnership with Central Texas Food Bank; daily transportation to bus stops and appointments; drop‑off and pickup laundry services; temporary bathroom and shower trailers; pet accommodations in a climate‑controlled Connex unit that holds about 20–25 dogs; on‑site peer support and activity programming; and frequent outreach by community providers.

Staffing at the site includes nine case managers from a mix of Endeavors and Sunrise staff, a ratio McCormack said is approximately 1 case manager per 30 clients. \"Without case managers, people just are not gonna get housed,\" he told the committee, arguing for the importance of both numbers and staff skill sets, including social workers and peer specialists.

On outcomes, McCormack said 244 people were recorded as positively exited (housed) in the Homeless Management Information System and that 87 people were housed from May 2024 to May 2025. He also highlighted a peer specialist hire who had been a Marshaling Yard client and later secured housing and certification and returned to work at the site.

Committee members asked operational questions. Councilman Ralster asked whether the convention center had asked for more space; McCormack said the city had concluded negotiations and \"we're able to make the space that was left work for us,\" and he did not expect the 282 figure to change. A committee member asked for cost‑per‑bed figures; McCormack said the office has compiled those numbers and would arrange for staff to send them to the committee.

Looking ahead, McCormack said the city is seeking replacement or additional shelter capacity. He described an anticipated 100‑bed expansion by a local foundation (referred to in the briefing as TUV/the other one's foundation) that staff hope could be available by the end of the year or the start of next year and said the bond proposal under discussion could include a large shelter with a notional 800–1,000 bed capacity. McCormack cautioned that moving beds between sites requires ensuring services follow the beds and that the Marshaling Yard is not intended to be permanent.

Why it matters: the Marshaling Yard is one piece of the city's emergency shelter system and the committee heard that staffing — particularly case management and peer specialists — and connections to housing remain the key constraints to increasing successful exits to housing.

Committee Chair Vanessa Fuentes opened and closed the update; no committee action or vote on the Marshaling Yard was taken at the meeting.

Next steps noted during the briefing included possible beds shifting to the foundation expansion if it becomes available, continued tracking of positive exits in HMIS, and follow‑up by staff to provide cost‑per‑bed and other fiscal details to committee members.","The Austin Public Health Committee received an update Wednesday on the Marshaling Yard, a temporary shelter for people experiencing homelessness that opened in August 2023 and has served about 1,323 people, city staff said.","actionData","errors"]

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Sobering Center seeks operating funds to open second‑floor expansion; county paid renovations, CEO says

Public Health Committee hears update on Marshaling Yard shelter; capacity now 282, 29% positive exit rate