AUSTIN (KXAN) — Michael Nieves had been homeless for years, moving from Florida to Austin seeking help. He found it at Camp Esperanza — a tiny home community in east Austin that supports people experiencing homelessness.
“Giving you a roof over your head when it’s raining, or cold…when it’s snowing, this is the place to come to,” Nieves said. “It’s a lot of hope and a lot of good stuff happens.”
According to data from the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO), there are 2,152 shelter beds in Austin right now — up nearly 800 beds from 2023. There’s soon to be 100 more — these in the form of non-congregate shelter, meaning people have communal space but individual living units.
The Other Ones Foundation, city and county leaders and community members gathered Friday to break ground on phase two of the Esperanza community. It will add 100 tiny home units to the current system.
“Think about what it means to have 100 more shelter beds, non-congregate shelter, so that people will be part of a community, be able to get vocational services so it means a great deal,” Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said.
There’s more to come too. We told you previously that TxDOT purchased roughly seven acres of land next door, which will also be part of the expansion in the coming years. That will nearly double the amount of land The Other Ones Foundation has.
“We’re not gonna stop. As the mayor mentioned we’ve got a whole lot more stuff coming down the line. We’re not gonna take a break, we’re not gonna stop this movement,” said Chris Baker, TOOF founder.