Houston is facing a growing homelessness crisis, with over 3,200 people experiencing homelessness in Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery counties. In response, the city has launched a $70 million plan aimed at addressing the problem. The initiative includes financial support from Harris County, philanthropic organizations, and government entities, with a clear goal to tackle the immediate needs of the homeless population by providing housing, mental health services, and safety.
During a press conference Mayor Whitmire described the approach as simple, saying, “It’s not rocket science,” but the reality of solving homelessness is more complex, as it is deeply tied to the city’s history of systemic racism and housing inequalities.
The city’s plan centers on a housing- first strategy, which prioritizes quickly providing stable housing for those in need. The mayor’s office and the Homeless Coalition are also focusing on expanding behavioral health services. One key challenge the city has long struggled with is the visibility of homelessness in public spaces like sidewalks, parks, and libraries.
“Allowing the homeless to be housed without preconditions like employment, sobriety, or other requirements is a great start to getting the homeless off of the streets, but there also needs to be plans to keep them off the streets” Rodriguez said.
According to Mike Nichols, former CEO of the Coalition for the Homeless, there is a need to “reclaim Houston’s public spaces,” ensuring they are accessible and safe for all residents. The city is also considering establishing a homeless authority to better coordinate efforts. Kelly Young, CEO of the Coalition for the Homeless, emphasized the importance of acting quickly.
“Homelessness is a tragedy that has a tragic end,” said Chief Larry Satterwhite of the Houston Police Department. The plan includes new rules, such as banning sleeping on the streets after 9 PM, with the goal of reclaiming public spaces. “There needs to be some follow through on both sides of the plan, we know they are going to make it illegal for homeless people to consume public spaces past 9 PM but do we know that they are truly going to house them and give them adequate resources?” Rodriguez said.
However, the reality is that Houston’s homelessness crisis didn’t just appear out of nowhere. It is the result of decades of systemic racism and housing policies that have disproportionately impacted African American communities.
In the 1930s, practices like redlining and urban renewal made it harder for Black families to secure housing and build wealth. Redlining is a discriminatory practice by banks and the federal government, marked Black neighborhoods as “hazardous” for investment, leading to a lack of loans and financial opportunities for those living in these areas.
As urban renewal projects tore down homes and displaced thousands of Black families in the mid-20th century, neighborhoods like Freedmen’s Town, Third Ward, and Acres Homes were particularly affected.
These areas were once thriving communities, but the destruction of homes and businesses during these projects left many families without housing and led to the decline of these neighborhoods. The forced displacement pushed many people into poor housing conditions or out of the city altogether. Even today, gentrification is forcing out longtime Black residents from areas like Third Ward, where the African American population dropped from 71% in 2010 to 45% in recent years. As new, more expensive developments replace older homes, many residents find themselves priced out of their own neighborhoods, contributing to the growing numbers of people experiencing homelessness.
The city’s current plan includes a focus on behavioral health, recognizing that mental health challenges are often a major factor in homelessness. Many people who are homeless struggle with conditions like depression, anxiety, and substance use, which can make it even harder to find stability. In the past, the deinstitutionalization of mental health care in the 1960s and 1970s left many people without proper care, and disproportionately affected African Americans who were already vulnerable due to systemic racism. Without adequate mental health support and affordable housing options, many individuals are left with no choice but to live on the streets.
The mayor’s plan also emphasizes a stronger relationship with law enforcement to ensure public spaces remain safe. However, focusing too much on enforcement may criminalize poverty without offering real solutions. The goal of the city’s plan is to ensure that everyone who falls into homelessness is “rehoused within 30 days” said Kelly Young, the CEO of the Homeless Coalition.
If successful, this could provide much-needed relief to families and individuals caught in the cycle of homelessness. However, without addressing the root causes of homelessness such as lack of affordable housing, mental health care, and the lingering effects of historical racial discrimination this effort may not be enough to break the cycle of displacement.
In earlier talks, Mayor Whitmire mentioned the idea of city-run homeless encampments to provide safe spaces for unhoused people. While the intention is to help, the word “encampments” has restrictive and inhumane practices, like those used during Nazi Germany. Whitmire did not discuss the encampments in this press conference.
The challenge for Houston is not only to provide temporary relief for the homeless population but also to address the historical factors that continue to shape the city’s housing crisis. Until systemic inequalities are addressed, the cycle of homelessness, displacement, and poverty will likely continue. The city’s $70 million plan is a good start, but the true test will be whether it can lead to lasting change both for the people currently homeless and for future generations who should never have to face the same hardships.
