Officials said an accurate count of the homeless population in Fort Bend County is an elusive figure. However, student enrollment data from area school districts and service utilization numbers from nonprofits paint a picture of homelessness in the County. ISSUE OF HOMELESSNESS Number of homeless students Percent of population that is homeless
homeless families and individuals within the county. “The need is there,” Groff said. “[At Abigail’s Place], we have a continu- ous waiting list. We have currently 900 families who are receiving rental assistance through the county program that ends [March 30].” Proposed program A homeless-needs inventory and gap analysis was drafted in late February by the county’s Community Development Director Carol Borrego and other local agencies. This report is part of an allo- cation plan due to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development by March 31. The report showed there were 14,120 households in Fort Bend County who earn less than 30% of the county’s area median income based on data from the county’s 2020 Consolidated Plan, mak- ing them vulnerable to homelessness. It also found a shortage of rental housing within the county’s housing options for people at risk of home- lessness. The analysis identified emergency shelters as first priority for homeless individuals and families, as the county’s two emergency shel- ters are exclusively for at-risk youth or women. Aside from Abigail’s Place, eight other local organizations collaborated on the housing proposal for Fort Bend County, including Parks Youth Ranch based in Richmond, Hope Impacts in Katy, Attack Poverty, the George Foun- dation, Fort Bend Family Promise and Fort Bend Women’s Center. Shannan Stavinoha, executive direc- tor for Parks Youth Ranch, said the nonprofit is the only emergency shel- ter for abused and neglected youth ages 7-17 in the county, and it assisted 177 youths in 2022. Data from Lamar CISD and Katy ISD showed homelessness is an issue for the county’s youth as well. In the two
LAMAR CISD
KATY ISD
1,000
3,500
4.1%
2.6%
800
2,800
1.7%
1.3%
1.7%
1.5%
600
2,100
1.5%
400
1,400
1.1% 1% 0.98% 0.92%
0.94%
200
700
0
0
SCHOOL YEAR NOTE: KATY ISD ATTRIBUTED THE HIGH NUMBER OF HOMELESS STUDENTS IN THE 2017-18 SCHOOL YEAR TO HURRICANE HARVEY. LAMAR CISD DID NOT RESPOND BY PRESS TIME. SCHOOL YEAR
Area nonprofits provide some resources for individuals and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness, but a shortage of housing options still remains in Fort Bend County. SHOWING NEED
commissioners re-evaluate the use of these funds, which are allocated toward other community commit- ments, including broadband connec- tivity and infrastructure investments. During the Feb. 28 meeting, Precinct 1 Commissioner Vincent Morales—whose jurisdiction includes Katy and Fulshear—said there was a need for the program but urged the court to work with the budget office to flesh out the remaining balance in the American Rescue Plan Act funding pot. However, County Judge KP George families utilizing the county’s rental and utility assistance program, which is federally funded through a one-time allotment and ends March 30 900 which provides suppers, showers, transportation and client advocacy for those facing housing insecurity 210 active participants at Hope Impacts, a Katy-area nonprofit
said the county has a “once-in-a- lifetime chance” to address the issue of homelessness. “These [groups] mentioned here, they are all waiting for our move,” he said. “They are saying, ‘OK, you’re lec- turing about poverty, then put some money where your mouth is.’” Fulshear Mayor Aaron Groff—who also serves as the executive direc- tor of Abigail’s Place, an organization that houses single mothers and their families—said this program is a proac- tive approach to continue supporting requests for shelter at Fort Bend Women’s Center in 2022, a nonprofit serving survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. 1,148 families per year that use services from Abigail’s Place nonprofit, which houses single mothers and their families 120 SOURCES: ABIGAIL’S PLACE, FORT BEND COUNTY, PARKS YOUTH RANCH, KATY ISD, LAMAR CISD/ COMMUNITY IMPACT
and supportive services 51
clients in Park Youth Ranch, which provides at-risk youth with shelter
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duplexes and a centralized resource center as well as hire staff to help homeless individuals. On Feb. 14, the court approved the transfer of $2 million from its Emer- gency Rental Assistance budget for this program. The nonprofits said they aim to utilize the rest of the requested funds to kickstart the program and use future Community Development Block Grant funding for the remainder. The nonprofits await a decision as
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