AUSTIN, Texas — Austin's Homeless Strategy Office (HSO) is cutting ties with the homeless non-profit organization Urban Alchemy, which oversees two shelters in the downtown area. According to a city memo, Urban Alchemy caught staff mishandling data, which goes into the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), and reported it to officials.

However, it led the HSO to scrap its contract with the organization on Sept. 30.

The ARCH and the Eight Street Shelter will be taken over by Endeavors, which runs the Marshalling Yard, under an emergency contract.

"We have an obligation to our taxpayers and to our clients to hold our vendors to a very high standard," City of Austin's Homeless Strategy Officer, David Gray said. "So when misrepresentations like this happen, the only consequence is

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