Austin officials and unsheltered residents push for better housing Austin officials and unsheltered residents push for better housing A year and a half after Austin lifted a local ban on camping in public, some officials want to buy hotels for housing homeless residents. Meanwhile, a state-sanctioned encampment in the city is full and can't accept new residents. Juan Pablo Garnham, The Texas Tribune Jan. 27, 2021 FacebookTwitterEmail A woman that goes by âWhisperâ sits with her possesions under Ben White near Westgate as TxDOT workers follow through with a directive from Gov. Greg Abbott to clean up under highway overpasses like Ben White at Westgate in Austin on Monday, Nov. 4, 2019.Bob Owen/Staff photographer