AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin City Council on Thursday approved the purchase and renovation of a hotel to be used as a haven from family violence. In doing so, for the first time in nearly a decade, the city has created a new space for survivors of family violence.
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The new shelter is operated by The Alliance Against Abuse for All (SAFE), an organization that serves victims of violence and abuse. The organization’s current accommodation has 30 rooms with a seemingly endless waiting list of nearly 40 people on any given day. The hotel will add 50 more rooms available, doubling the current area of SAFE.
Julia Spann, co-CEO of The SAFE Alliance, said the need for housing grows as the Austin community grows.
“We believe this will be able to solve some kind of crisis that is currently being made worse by COVID,” said Spann.
The organization said its SAFEline received 2,394 contacts in October 2021, the highest in the organization’s history. More than 80% of these contacts were related to domestic violence.
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Spann said the new shelter will provide case management, child services and other resources to residents to help families plan for a safer future.
Councilor Greg Casar was the main sponsor of the vote and added it to the 2020 budget. Casar said the vote was a long time coming.
“We need to remove families and children from the waiting list and move them to a safer place in our community. This is a real public safety investment, ”Casar said in a press release.
The organization SAFEline number is (512) 267-SAFE (7233).
