Best practices book - Flipbook - Page 359
Building Confidence, Building Community.
BACKGROUND:
The following are examples of code amendments, policies and ordinances found in various cities as well as new
initiatives that in the process of being approved. They do not outline every aspect of that these cities are working on but
highlight the code specific aspects of some of their major initiatives to address the homelessness situation.
A. Austin, TX
According to Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO), Austin currently has 2,255 homeless people on
average each day. Austin is actively approaching this issue from numerous different directions. City leaders made
changes to the ordinances of camping, sitting and laying to relax the regulations and allow camping in public spaces,
including sidewalks, etc. This issue has divided the community, as the homeless situation didn’t get worse, but it
became very visible to the community. These are some of the recent links outlining this change:
“Homeless Housing planned for proposed Riverside development”
https://www.newsradioklbj.com/news/austin-local-news/homeless-housing-planned-proposed-riverside-development
“Austin’s new homelessness ordinances ban camping on sidewalks but allow sitting down and lying down”
https://communityimpact.com/austin/central-austin/city-county/2019/10/17/austins-new-homelessness-ordinancesban-camping-on-sidewalks-but-allow-sitting-and-lying-down/
“Austin reinstates limited bans on camping and resting in public”
https://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2019/10/austin-reinstates-limited-bans-on-camping-and-resting-in-public/
“The City of Austin now has a hotline for issues related to homelessness” https://www.newsradioklbj.com/news/austinlocal-news/city-austin-now-has-hotline-issues-related-homelessness
“Austin launched new program to reduce homeless camping outside the ARCH” https://www.kxan.com/news/local/
austin/austin-announces-new-encampment-strategy-to-connect-homeless-with-housing-services/
“Pilot program shifts ARCH homeless shelter focus to thinking longer-term”
https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/pilot-program-shifts-arch-homeless-shelter-focus-to-thinking-long-term
B. Denver, CO
Currently, Denver has a homeless population of over 5,800 on any given night. One of the more impactful solutions on
a small scale is allowing Tiny Home Villages in Denver; these projects are based on recent zoning and building code
modifications. This new code amendment creates a new use group called RX Use. This allows small sleeping units 70
square feet up to 400 square feet. The sleeping units are kept 10 feet apart from each other or else they need to have
a one-hour exterior wall fire rating. Appendix B1 is the actual building code proposals for the 2019 code amendments
have recently passed council and are in effect today. Denver already has similar codes in place under the 2016 Denver
Building Code Amendments. Appendix B2 outlines the recent zoning codes that have been adopted in Denver allowing
these Tiny Home Villages.
Additionally, Denver recently approved new building code amendments and are in the process of proposing a zoning
code amendment to allow more unrelated adults to occupy single family homes. This will create a significant amount
of affordable housing stock within Denver, essentially allowing congregate living to occur in a single-family residence,
without the requirement of a fire suppression system. The intent is to create more affordability in Denver, and this will
help alleviate some of the homelessness issue as well. This building code amendment also takes care of the short-term
rental (Airbnb) situations. Appendix B3 outlines the recent 2019 Denver Building Code Amendment and Appendix B4
outlines a proposed Denver Zoning Code Amendment.
As with most other major jurisdictions Denver provides city shelter or shelters that partner with the City and County
of Denver. These shelters are providing overnight stays and give transportation to much needed services. Denver has
reduced the number of required toilet fixtures for these shelters to allow a more appropriate count for the hours of use
and create a more affordable approach. Normally the length of stay is less than 12 hours a day. In addition, Denver
recently adopted a policy to allow nonprofit and private facilities to provide shelters in weather emergency situations.
This can occur 180 days a year in a building and will require a temporary certificate of occupancy. Denver has lessened
the parameters in the International Existing Building Code (IEBC) and International Fire Code (IFC) due to the emergency
situation and the temporary nature of the use. Appendix B5 outlines the most recent policy addressing this issue.
BEST PRACTICES | 350
Homelessness in the United States, How are Major Jurisdictions Dealing with This Issue?
www.iccsafe.org | page 4
