A proposed RV park for the homeless would provide more than just shelter

[The Straight Story]

Austin, TX:

Then There's This: Sunshine for the Homeless
A proposed RV park would provide more than just shelter

It's hard to say how you'll react to an ambitious plan to provide homes for the chronically homeless when the project is slated to take shape half a mile from your own home – in the form of an RV park.

In this case, the Sunshine RV Park for homeless singles and couples – a long-deferred dream of local nonprofit Mobile Loaves & Fishes – is proposed for a 27-acre site in northeast Travis County. It's just outside the city limits, but close enough to come under some city development regulations, and close enough to draw strong opposition from nearby neighborhoods.

Last week, after hearing objections from many neighborhood residents, the Zoning and Platting Commission unanimously approved a preliminary plan for the proposed community at 9301 Hog Eye, off Decker Lane near FM 969. The site is located about a mile from the nearest bus stop and, by most accounts, is not yet easily accessible on foot or bicycle. At any rate, the proposal now goes to Travis County Commissioners Court to consider in mid-to-late August, and appears on course to win approval there as well.

Alan Graham, founder and president of Mobile Loaves & Fishes, has for 15 years led the nonprofit's mobile mission of delivering 1,000 meals a day to homeless people. By now, he is accustomed to hearing neighborhood opposition to his longtime goal of providing permanent housing for the chronically homeless in a safe, supportive environment. In 2008, the city withdrew plans to lease the nonprofit an 11-acre site in East Austin after thunderous protests from neighbors. The city subsequently explored two other sites – one near the airport and another near Burnet and Braker Lane – but those ideas were also scrapped due to opposition.

http://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2013-07-26/then-theres-this-sunshine-for-the-homeless/

[JimDandy]

1. This is a MUCH better housing

situation than the micro-housing shed project proposed for another community where the sheds have only a bunk bed and dresser--no running water, no bathroom, no kitchen, and no electrical outlets that I could see in the photos.

Kudos for this non-profit for providing facilities that treat the homeless with dignity and believe they are as deserving of human comforts and necessities as the rest of us.