Neighbors say they're horrified to find 3 children at homeless encampment in southeast Houston
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Folks who live in a southeast Houston neighborhood say they've tried unsuccessfully for months to get authorities to do something about a woman and three young children who they say are living in squalid conditions at a homeless encampment.
Neighbors say the campsite, located behind a vacant daycare on Sabo near Fuqua, popped up in January.
"I can't even imagine children being out here in the heat, the cold, living under these conditions," said area resident Ray Soto.
During a visit on Thursday afternoon, Eyewitness News saw the woman and children at the campsite surrounded by overflowing shopping carts with only a tarp to shelter them from the sun and rain. They quickly left.
"We've called police multiple times," Griselda Loya, who owns a nearby salon, said.
"The government does nothing, and these kids are suffering, you know, they shouldn't have to live out here," Kerri Biddle, who lives in the neighborhood, said.
Goya said CPS recently stopped by and provided Eyewitness News with a photo of a CPS investigator's business card.
The agency said it was looking into the matter when Eyewitness News on asked about it Thursday.
"They talked to the kids, to the mom, and they told me that it was not a crime for them to be homeless," Goya said.
HPD said it hasn't gotten any calls about the campsite. The Precinct 2 Constable's Office said it hasn't either, but that "if any family is on the streets, law enforcement can always provide a connection to resources if the client is willing to accept the help."
The woman Eyewitness News saw denied needing help before leaving the campsite with the three children.
A City of Houston spokesperson said the city learned about the camp from Eyewitness News, but that its director of public safety and homeland security would check it out.
"I think that our community would be glad to rise up and take care of this, but we have to have CPS behind us," Biddle said.
