From Historic Healing to New Hope: Introducing the Respite Center at the CEC

Sometimes the most impactful transformations happen in unexpected places. Taking an old hospital building that has sat mostly overlooked for many years now and reimagining it as a space where our most vulnerable neighbors can access the care they deserve fills me with a powerful sense of meeting the moment to solve a difficult problem with creativity and compassion.

Walking through the halls of what was once the Children’s Hospital of Austin, I was struck by the continuity of this place. This historic building, effectively all that remains of the old Brackenridge Hospital, has always been about healing. On July 28, it will embrace that mission once again as we open our new respite center for people experiencing homelessness who are recovering from illness or injury.

These halls that once cared for children will soon provide refuge and recovery for our neighbors who need it most.

Key features of the center include:

• Recovery pods for up to 48 patients, including gender-neutral spaces and dedicated isolation rooms
• Shared amenities: showers, meals, lounges, and computer access
• Onsite access to health care and behavioral health services

Our goal? To give individuals space, time, and stability, not just medical services.

Why This Matters

Too often, healing is interrupted when someone experiencing homelessness or without stable housing leaves the hospital with nowhere safe to go. This respite center is about changing that narrative.

By using this site already outfitted for clinical care and located in our community’s heart, we’re accelerating our ability to fix a system that hasn’t always been equal.

This isn’t an isolated initiative. This is the next step in a growing strategy to link clinical care with housing and social support. A longer-term respite center on Cameron Road is already underway, but this opportunity at the CEC allowed us to act faster, serving more people when they need it most.

The Respite Center at the CEC combines clinical oversight from hospital-trained providers, wraparound support tailored to each person’s recovery, and an infrastructure built on equity and legacy of care. Every square foot reflects the promise that no person, even without a home, will be forced to heal on the streets.

Measuring Success, Together

This project is only possible through a shared vision with Central Health, CommUnityCare, our hospital partners, and the broader community working in unison. Our collective measure of success will be simple, yet profound. Fewer hospital readmissions, improved patient stability, transitions to permanent housing and health.