On October 1, 2024, the Downtown Austin Community Court (DACC) marked its 25th anniversary of service to the Austin community. Since October 2015, DACC has connected over 600 people to long-term housing.
Founded in 1999 as Texas's first community court and the seventh in the United States, DACC aims to empower individuals through impartial justice and community-based services. The court employs alternative adjudication methods that offer person-centered solutions for resolving cases. This approach helps individuals contribute to the community while preventing these cases from affecting their criminal records.
The Community Services Program at DACC allows individuals to complete public service hours through municipal jobs like beautification projects and graffiti removal. In Fiscal Year 2024 alone, participants completed over 983 projects across more than 25 acres in Austin.
DACC plays a significant role in Austin’s Homelessness Response System by providing trauma-informed and housing-focused services. These services aim to improve quality of life and prevent homelessness from escalating into criminal justice issues. The homeless services include walk-in case management, resource navigation, medication storage, mailing addresses, intensive case management programs, and collaboration with the City’s Homeless Outreach Street Team.
“Through our court, Community Service program, and array of homeless services, everything we do is rooted in building trust with the people we serve,” said Robert Kingham, Court Administrator for DACC. “With this approach, we’re able to work collaboratively with our clients and partners to compassionately address homelessness, improving the lives of the people we serve and benefitting the community overall.”
Innovation remains central to DACC's model. The Clinical Diversion Program (CDP), launched in March 2023, embeds case managers directly in courtrooms to enhance service connections and improve case completion rates. Additionally, DACC's Mobile Court program addresses barriers by meeting people where they are within the community.
Since its inception, CDP has served over 359 individuals and resolved 519 outstanding cases through case management activities. The Mobile Court program has conducted 890 court case checks and cleared 89 warrants since its pilot launch in October 2023. Full implementation is funded beginning January 2025.
For more information about DACC’s services, visit www.austintexas.gov/communitycourt.