Details about upcoming city-sponsored homeless encampment remain a mystery

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A new city-sponsored homeless encampment will open in Houston sometime in the next week, according to Mayor John Whitmire. But it's still a mystery on exactly where it will be, how many people it will be able to accommodate, or how officials will determine who gets to stay there.

Whitmire made the revelation on Wednesday morning when he was responding to a concerned citizen speaking during the public comment portion of the city council about loitering and criminal activities near businesses in the Magnolia Park area.

"The homeless will be pushed to another location. So very soon, we're going to have a city-sponsored encampment that will be rolled out. If not this week, next week by the housing department, Homeland Security. The homeless in public space is just not going to be acceptable," Whitmire said.

Whitmire would not answer further questions from ABC13 after the meeting about details regarding the upcoming encampment. But he said it would be in a private space, and the city did not acquire additional land for the project.

"We have a lot of unoccupied residential beds now in some of our residential facilities," Whitmire said to ABC13. "We're going to find a location in current residential facilities. Harris County Health, I can name other active residential pavilions."

So, how could a city-sponsored encampment differ from a homeless shelter?

"Most of the country has city or county facilities where they can use those beds in lieu of keeping people in the hospital, in lieu of keeping people in jail that have health conditions, requiring they not be unhoused," David Buck, associate dean for community health for the Fertitta Family College of Medicine at the University of Houston, said.

How successful has this model been for other cities that have implemented something similar? Buck says it all depends on if they integrate other resources, such as healthcare, education, and employment.

"If it's just one more piecemeal fragmented effort, I think it will not succeed because homelessness is so complex and has so many moving parts," Buck said. "This could be the beginning of a brilliant new opportunity for Houston, or it could be the beginning of a flop."

In the 2024 Homeless County and Survey, the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County said they can expect to see 3,280 people experiencing homelessness at any given moment in the Houston region.

According to the 2024 Annual Action Plan from the City of Houston's Housing and Community Development Department, 276 people have been served since the Housing Navigation Center opened in January 2023. Additionally, 148 have been housed and 124 encampments have been decommissioned.

Documents state that the center is a place where "unsheltered people can stay for a short time while their permanent housing arrangements are finalized, and they can access service to help them remain stably housed."

Whitmire said the city is working with several nonprofit organizations on the encampment, such as the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County. The coalition did not respond to requests for comment.

A spokesperson for the mayor's office said there will be an upcoming press conference with more details.

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