AUSTIN— Today, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sent a letter to a letter to Austin Mayor Steve Adler demanding he and the city council address the growing homelessness crisis by November 1, 2019. Kevin Roberts, executive director of the Texas Public Policy Foundation offered the following comment.
“Gov. Abbott is right to be alarmed about the state of homelessness in Austin. Mayor Adler and the city council are harming all of their residents, including the homeless, in their mimicking the tried-and-failed-policies of San Francisco, Seattle, and other liberal cities. As the executive director of a non-profit headquartered in downtown Austin championing liberty and personal responsibility, I am glad that the state is taking public health and safety seriously. Even more than that, though, I encourage government at all levels to get out of the way of the countless people across our country who through charities, churches, businesses, and individual effort are trying to get to the core issues—including unemployment, substance abuse, and a lack of educational opportunities— surrounding the homeless problem we face today.”