AUSTIN (KXAN) -- For more than seven years, something as universal as having a mailbox wasn't possible for Alfredo Reyes Junior. He spent the better part of a decade experiencing homelessness, sleeping under a bridge near the airport.
"I used to be a business owner with 45 employees. But look at me now. I fell. It's okay, I'm trying to get back up, and I'm going to get back up," he told us.
Which makes the fact that Reyes met us in his rented home, which he and his partner moved into just last month, even more impressive. Reyes' path to that house was paved by federal pandemic relief -- or American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) -- dollars distributed by the city of Austin.
Alfredo Reyes Jr. collects his mail at the house he moved into last month (KXAN photo/Grace Reader)Alfredo Reyes Jr. plays with his three dogs in his backyard in south Austin (KXAN photo/Grace Reader)But that money is all but gone.
"It just makes me feel like, come on man, this is something that y'all knew already. Y'all should have a backup plan for that, there's no ifs ands or buts," Reyes said.
Much of that money was dished out before Austin Mayor Kirk Watson took office, but he's acutely aware of the fiscal cliff it will create, alongside the impact looming federal budget cuts may have. It's one of the reasons he's switching up the budget process this year.
"What would our tax rate have been if we paid for all of those things out of taxes as opposed to ARPA money?" Watson said. "I'm going to also ask questions about how much of the money was meant to be one time but was actually spent on ongoing expenses."
Inside Austin’s Agenda: Mayor looks to beef up budget process amid financial uncertaintyAustin city council members already voted to prioritize spending on homelessness this budget cycle, but in the meantime people like Reyes, who have used federal money to get on their feet, are worried about sliding back into homelessness should those resources dry up.
"I don't want to be that person again. Me, as many other people, they don't want to be that person. They want to better themselves. They want a better life. They want to feel normal again. Feeling normal is a big thing when it comes down to being homeless. I can tell you that from my own experience."
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