Houston's $70M plan to end street homelessness by 2026 From the cover
The annual cost Whitmire’s $70 million pilot program to end street homelessness in Houston by 2026 will require funding from multiple sources across the city and county for the first two years.
Funding the project
Mayor John Whitmire said he wants Houston to be the first major city in the United States to end street homelessness by moving all individuals who live outdoors into stable housing. He announced plans in late November that included a $70 million one- to two-year pilot program to start the process he hopes will be completed by the end of 2026. Michael Nichols, director of Houston’s Housing and Community Development Department, announced in February that the first $21.8 million was secured for the program, including: • $17.5 million through a combination of general city and federal funds • $700,000 from the state’s Homeless Housing and Services Program • $1 million from the Downtown Management District • $2.6 million from the Houston First Corporation Nichols said the remaining $48.2 million is in discussion with different Houston and Harris County entities. The $70 million does not include funding for mental health, housing vouchers, disaster relief, or support for the city and county’s law enforcement.
Total goal $70M+
Homeless Housing and Services Program
Obligated Funds are already committed and in use
$700K
$3.5M
City of Houston
$2.6M
Federal funds
Identified Funds are not approved, but verbally committed
$10M
METRO
Houston First Corporation
$14M
In discussion Funds have not gone to a vote, but are in discussion
$5M-8M
Harris County
TIRZs & management districts
$8M-16M
Needed Funds are not established
Philanthropy & corporations
$20M
SOURCE: CITY OF HOUSTON/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Offering input
The plan
Nichols said one of the main goals of the new initiative is to help all homeless people in Houston find housing within 30 days of identification. Catherine Villarreal, vice president of public affairs for the Coalition for the Homeless of Hous- ton/Harris County, said she believes Houston has always focused on permanent housing, but this plan aims toward increasing rapid rehousing. Rapid rehousing, according to the National Alli- ance to End Homelessness, is the process of finding short-term rental assistance and services to help people obtain housing quickly. More than half of the $70 million funding will go toward rapid rehousing. “We are seeking to expand on what the Homeless Response System in Houston does beyond that laser-focus on permanent housing,” Villarreal said. “How do we create more of a waiting room for folks so that they don’t have to sleep on the streets?” Nichols said one way to help address that issue is through creating a low-barrier shelter—a space where people can bring pets and partners and don’t need to be sober to enter—as well as expanding the number of available beds and affordable housing.
Edward Pollard, Houston City Council District J member, said he has recently seen an uptick in unhoused individuals around Hwy. 59 and Loop 610 near Gulfton and Sharpstown. “With District J, we’re the most densely populated area of Houston, ... and we have a very diverse community,” he said. “You have a lot of undocumented people, refugees, asylum seekers, immigrants and first gener- ation that just don’t have the same resources that others may have in the city.” Pollard said his office has decommis- sioned encampments in Gulfton and near Chimney Rock Road. He said the biggest roadblock in helping those individuals is housing options. “If you don’t have a place for [individuals] to go, then you’re just displacing them to another area,” he said. “So the biggest thing is having available space, and that is some- thing that has to be at the top of the priority list for any homeless initiative.”
Where the funds will be allocated
Rapid rehousing $45M Permanent supportive housing $11M Mental health hub & shelter $3.8M Navigation center $3.6M Outreach $3.3M Diversion $2.6M Total $69.3M NOTE: THESE NUMBERS ARE AN EARLY FORECAST AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE BASED ON FUNDING SOURCE AND COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS. SOURCE: CITY OF HOUSTON/COMMUNITY IMPACT Affordable housing, according to the U.S. Depart- ment of Housing and Urban Development, is a form of housing where an occupant is paying no more than 30% of their gross income for housing costs. According to the annual Housing Inventory Count conducted by the Coalition for the Homeless, there are approximately 7,800 affordable housing units across Harris County and about 10,400 beds.
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