Just off Highway 183 in southeast Austin, twin rows of weathered, garage-like structures line a mostly vacant 7-acre paved lot. The property, a former maintenance yard for state-owned vehicles, lies between a mobile home park and a heavy equipment dealership. It’s an austere setting. Yet as of mid-December, some 60 homeless Austinites reside here. There’s limited electricity, no proper showers, and it’s far removed from existing homeless services. Still, some see it as the best available option. Welcome to Abbottville.
In early November, Governor Greg Abbott opened the land, owned by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), to Austin’s unhoused. The move puzzled advocates. For months, Abbott had incessantly smeared the city’s homeless as violent and disease-ridden, part of his crusade against local leaders for relaxing laws that criminalized the unhoused. The governor had also just ordered TxDOT to commence disruptive weekly clear-outs of homeless camps under the city’s highways. Now, he had a solution that seemed less than innovative: another camp.
Still, Abbottville is growing. The 24 structures, or storage bays, are all occupied. After sweeping out thick layers of dust, residents pitched tents inside and pinned up tarps for doors. New arrivals have now set up about 15 tents in an uncovered area toward the back of the lot. Many moved here from the woods, looking for better shelter from the cold and rain. Some became homeless within the past month, and moved straight here. Others were pushed here by TxDOT’s frequent clear-outs.
