TxDOT announces expansion of homeless Esperanza Community ahead of I-35 construction

Texas highway officials announced a plan Thursday to double the footprint of a Southeast Austin temporary housing site for people experiencing homelessness in an effort to shore up capacity ahead of construction to widen Interstate 35.

The expansion is meant to offset the displacement of people who reside under or near I-35, according to a news release. Texas Department of Transportation officials plan to start construction to widen an 8-mile stretch of the interstate through central Austin later this year, removing elevated structures and bridges sheltering some of the city's homeless population.

The $4.5 billion highway expansion project would run from the interstate's north intersection with U.S. 290 down to where Texas 71 crosses I-35. Four new "managed lanes" would be added for vehicles carrying two or more passengers, first responders and Capital Metro buses. Construction could last up to a decade.

Opened in the fall of 2019 as a state-run facility, the site, called Esperanza Community, is now run by the Other Ones Foundation, a nonprofit organization offering services to people experiencing homelessness. The seven-acre site, owned by the TxDOT, is located at 780 S. U.S. 183, just north of Texas 71 and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

To expand the site, TxDOT purchased a neighboring seven acres of land for about $2.3 million, said Mike Arellano, a deputy engineer for TxDOT's Austin District. The timeline for construction on the new land will be determined after surveying and land evaluations are conducted.

The temporary housing site has 100 units. Max Moscoe, the Other Ones Foundation director of communications, said 76 of the units were in use. The nonprofit's website on Thursday said Esperanza Community was at capacity and not accepting applications at this time.

The nonprofit will consult with the unhoused community and area service providers to inform its decisions on use of the new space, Moscoe said.

In a news release announcing the expansion, Gov. Greg Abbott said TxDOT’s Austin District has "created the blueprint" for how cities can address homelessness.

"This additional capacity for temporary housing for those at risk of experiencing homelessness will allow more Texans to get the services they need at the Esperanza Community," Abbott said in the release. "This will help ensure TxDOT can continue the planned reconstruction of I-35 to further boost the Texas economy."

The announcement comes as Austin's unsheltered homeless population has risen. The number of unsheltered people who are homeless has more than doubled from April 2022 to October 2023, the latest figures available, according to estimates by the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: TxDOT expand Esperanza Community ahead of I-35 construction in Austin