Austin officials plan to increase the lighting, police presence and street cleaning downtown at Seventh and Neches streets -- where the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless is located -- starting Aug. 15.

Austin’s Ending Community Homelessness Coalition announced these plans, among others, for the area on Friday afternoon.

"We have a health and public safety crisis in the downtown area around the ARCH that has become acute, and it is impacting our whole community. ... More people are coming downtown to access services, including shelter and food, which is leading to overcrowding near these service locations," the organization, also known as ECHO, said in a statement Friday. "This has resulted in many people being preyed upon and exposed to dangerous substances, such as K2, while they attempt to access services."

The city also plans to install temporary restrooms and change the way food is distributed to those in need in the area so people are no longer "targeted by criminal predators," the statement says.

Ann Howard, ECHO’s executive director, said her organization will also continue connecting those who are homeless with housing services.

"We have a coordinated efforts to identify clients and match them with programs to get them off the streets and into housing," Howard said. "The problem is we need more resources to do that. ... We’re hoping that, as we talk about the need, we’ll be able to garner additional public and private support for permanent supportive housing initiatives."