In 1985, former KVUE reporter Pat Comer lived on the streets and in the homeless shelters of Austin for weeks to report on the conditions. “One hundred to 200 men sleep on mats on the concrete floor with the rats and the roaches,” Comer said in a report. That same year, Austin formed its first homeless task force to find ways to serve the homeless population, including trying to provide medical care, food and a safe place to sleep for those without a home.