The Candlewood Suites property in Northwest Austin is a proposed site for 80 units of permanent supportive housing that would house local residents experiencing homelessness. (Iain Oldman/Community Impact Newspaper)
Part of the Austin City Council's plan to house the homeless was put on hold during the last council session before summer break. The purchase of Candlewood is being opposed by Anderson Mill and Pecan Park residents who complain there are not adequate resources to support the 50 to 80 people who could be housed there.
Recently, the Austin City Council and Mayor Adler suggested housing women and children in the Candlewood Hotel. Activist residents are still concerned with a lack of supportive resources, however. The also raise issues about what entity would manage the faciltiy. The other city owned facility for women and children in Austin is run by the Salvation Army.
City Council postponed approving the purchase of the Candlewood Hotel in the face of the Anderson Mill and Pecan Park residents' request for a guarantee in writing that the facility would be used to house women and children. Other issues raised by activists was that the proposed offer from the city to buy the hotel is considerably higher than the current appraised value.
While it seems likely that the City of Austin, Mayor Adler and the Council will purchase the Candlewood hotel as originally announced, they will be working to answer the questions raised by the Stop Candlewwod group and their allies in the meantime.
As a result of the postponement my Austin City Council, Williamson County is not currently pursuing the lawsuit it had intended to file against the City of Austin to halt the purchasse of the building.