FAQs

DACC’s mission is to utilize a client-centered and housing-focused intensive case management model to help individuals experiencing homelessness achieve long-term stability, and to administer justice equitably and compassionately to foster trust and accountability. DACC operates as a problem-solving and rehabilitative court and provides referrals to supportive services for individuals engaged in Court Services. Effective community court models necessitate easy access to supportive services, which DACC has available immediately and onsite for individuals seeking case management services as well as individuals engaging in Court Services. DACC provides walk-in and ongoing intensive case management services for individuals experiencing homelessness based on voluntary requests for services, referrals from the Homeless Outreach Street Team (HOST) and other service providers, as well as referrals through Court Services.  Many of the individuals that receive citations processed through DACC are individuals who are experiencing homelessness. DACC is contributing to the accountability, fairness, equity, impartiality, and transparency of justice processes for residents that engage with the Community Court. DACC works to expedite court cases by offering alternative forms of adjudication in lieu of monetary penalties, for those not able to pay, in order to avoid incarceration or additional penalties, and to connect individuals to services that can help with immediate needs and in their journey toward obtaining long-term stability.  For individuals experiencing homelessness, these alternative forms of adjudication can include participating in Intensive Case Management Services, obtaining identification documentation, signing up for public benefits they qualify for, completing a Coordinated Assessment, and/or participating in social services that meet their needs. 
 

DACC is a department that includes a full working courtroom, plus an Intensive Case Management (ICM) program to help defendants in need of social service assistance. This assistance may be provided by clinical case managers that work for the Court, or by other agencies to whom DACC staff can make referrals. More details about DACC’s client-centered case management model can be found in the DACC Information and Background section of this page.  

The geographic service area (GSA) and adjudicated citations are the elements that determine which cases come to DACC, and which cases go to Austin Municipal Court (AMC). The GSA is the physical area within which tickets that are issued come to DACC. That area includes downtown Austin, parts of east Austin, and parts of UT's west campus. DACC also only adjudicates Class C misdemeanors. So, if a ticket is written to someone for a Class C misdemeanor in downtown Austin, their case will be addressed at DACC. Other types of citations, and those written in other parts of the community, will be heard at AMC. 

There are two Class C misdemeanor citations that come to DACC, no matter where in the city they are issued: Proposition B and statewide camping ban violations. Tickets for these two enforcement measures come to DACC from all areas of the city. 

The geographic service area is not the same thing as the physical location of DACC’s Court and offices. While you may have heard information about DACC’s Court and office space from your neighbors, or in the news, the geographic service area, along with the related citation discussion, is a different project with different priorities. 

People who come to DACC after receiving a citation have an opportunity to explain their situation to the judge and prosecutor. The judge and prosecutor work with the defendant to determine a way for that person to comply with court requirements while also providing ways to access other resources. Those resources may include case management, housing search assistance, or referrals to medical providers.  

No, DACC processes citations for anyone who receives a Class C misdemeanor in the current three-neighborhood service area.  

DACC currently serves three Austin neighborhoods: downtown, east Austin, and west campus. All class C misdemeanors that happen in this area are handled at DACC. A link to the current service area is provided for your review here. 

A description and list of Class C misdemeanors, plus examples of what is not adjudicated at DACC) is provided for your review here. Public order citations, or Class C misdemeanors, committed in the current geographic service area. Since the passage of Proposition B and the State Camping Ban, DACC has been working to help process the few types of citations associated with these laws citywide to ensure individuals have access to services.  All other City of Austin charges are adjudicated at the Austin Municipal Court (now located in the Bergstrom Tech Center off Burleson Road).