From the cover
Helping the homeless
Current situation
Two-minute impact
residents to refrain from giving panhandlers money, and instead donate to local churches or nonpro ts that help homeless people. District 10 Council Member Marc Whyte in August proposed greater eorts to rehabilitate and train able-bodied people to more quickly become self-sustaining contributing members of society.
Katie Vela Wilson, Close to Home’s executive director, said a lack of aordable housing and protections from evictions are compounding San Antonio’s homeless situation. Those without homes and panhandlers are ven- turing outside the city’s urban core, o cials said. District 8 Council Member Manny Pelaez urged
According to public and private-sector stakeholders working on local homeless issues, a holistic, long-term, multipronged approach is needed to address the complexities of homelessness. San Antonio ocials plan to spend more than $1.43 million in scal year 2023-24 to bolster anti-homelessness measures. Those include growing the encampment abatement team from two to four workers, clearing up to 700 encampments and diverting 300 at-risk individuals to temporary low-barrier housing, where entry requirements are minimal. David Row, the city’s interim homeless outreach manager, said aside from a ordable housing or nancial troubles, substance abuse, trauma or mental illness— or a mix of these and other issues—tend to drive people into homelessness.
Homelessness on the rise
Compared with 2022, Close to Home’s 2023 homeless count found a 5% total increase in homeless individuals— which includes those living in a shelter—and a 16% drop in individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness.
Sheltered
Unsheltered
Addressing homelessness San Antonio’s FY 2023-24 budget contains $1.43 million in new investment to boost various homeless outreach and camp-clearing measures.
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
*2021
2022
2023
2012
*UNSHELTERED COUNT WAS NOT DONE IN 2021 DUE TO PANDEMIC
SOURCE: CLOSE TO HOMECOMMUNITY IMPACT
$697,050 to help with housing $737,249 to increase encampment abatement team
What they’re saying
“Cities that have the least aordable housing supply have the
“We’re living in an America that’s experiencing economic and health care crises and an aordable housing shortage.” MANNY PELAEZ, SAN ANTONIO DISTRICT 8 CITY COUNCIL MEMBER
Total $1.43 million
highest rates of homelessness.”
KATIE VELA WILSON, CLOSE TO HOME EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
SOURCE: CITY OF SAN ANTONIOCOMMUNITY IMPACT
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