HOUSTON — Mayor John Whitmire unveiled a plan Thursday to end street homelessness in Houston and have residents "reclaim public spaces," an effort he says will require wide collaboration, changes in law and robust funding.
The mayor was joined by city, county, nonprofit, private sector and law enforcement leaders during his announcement Thursday.
"Houston, we have a problem," Whitmire said, beginning his remarks by saying to address a problem, a city must admit it has one.
Houston has been seen nationally as a leader in the U.S. for bringing down its homeless population from around 8,400 individuals in the region in 2011, down to about 3,200 this year, according to the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County’s 2024 Point-in-Time Count & Survey of People Experiencing Homelessness.
But the latest figures show a plateau and recent studies suggest a drying up of federal funding and lack of affordable housing has led to stagnation in decreasing the number of homeless individuals.
"Public space is being used by the homeless, so you go to the Hobby Center across the street, you want to eat at the aquarium and Hobby Center, you got to step over the homeless," Whitmire told KHOU 11 after the announcement. "We're very serious, that's unacceptable. We're going to be compassionate, but we're going to be firm and I think you'll see some changes real quick."
The plan includes raising and securing funding in the short term and long term for a sustainable money stream. The annual cost of the plan is set to be $70 million.
The first year of funding will be gathered by about $25 million committed by the city, $20 million from the county, $15 million from philanthropy and corporations and about $10 million from other government entities.
After the first year, Whitmire aims to secure funding from state and federal sources.
"This condition affects every Houstonian," Whitmire said of the message that he is sharing with leaders outside of City Hall when asking for their support.
Among those leading the effort is Mike Nichols, the director of Houston's Housing and Community Development Department.
"We believe this plan works, we believe that we can end street homelessness where people do not have to wait on the street as they wait for housing services," Nichols told KHOU 11. "We believe that we can reclaim public spaces as demanded by Houstonians who want to have a place that’s clean, safe and this program works for both of those groups."
The effort will include contacting homeless individuals and informing them of their options and available resources and offering shelter options not on city streets.
The plan also requires changes in city and state laws, Whitmire says.
"We're going to adjust the laws to humanely and firmly get people off the street," Whitmire said.
That includes Whitmire set to introduce an ordinance to ban sleeping on city streets after 9 p.m. The mayor is set to introduce that item to City Council in the coming weeks.
Officials also said laws may have to change to address homeless individuals who do not want to accept the options and resources offered to them.
Whitmire said the effort would take several years, but would ultimately lead to other Houston residents being able to use city parks, libraries and streets safely.