Hotel health hurts Austin, Texas, homeless housing push

Resurgence of the hospitality industry in Austin, Texas, bodes ill for the city’s effort to acquire hotels for transitional housing for those who are homeless by driving up prices and crimping availability. “Some of these operators were hanging on by their fingernails, but now the people who were glad to hear from us a year ago aren’t returning our phone calls,” says Michael Gates of the city’s real estate department.