Homeless In Houston: Mayor Turner Unveils Homeless Initiative Partnership Program

HOUSTON, TX — Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner announced the launch of a public awareness campaign addressing panhandling on Houston streets.

The campaign, known as Meaningful Change, Not Spare Change, is a partnership between at least 50 local faith leaders, executives with Clear Channel Outdoor, iHeart Radio, and the Coalition for the Homeless Leadership, to put an end to homelessness and panhandling in downtown and other areas of Houston.

The campaign launch comes less than a month after the Houston City Council enacted a city ordinance addressing panhandling on city streets, which also made public homeless encampments illegal in the city.

During his state of the city address at the Marriott Marquis Hotel on May 4, Turner called homelessness the great humanitarian issue that affects all Houstonians.

“We want to encourage people to provide meaningful change, not spare change,” Turner said during his address. “I know it’s not a good sight to see people under our bridges. I know it’s not something we are proud of...but I also recognize that there are people who have fallen through our cracks, people who are needing our help.”

The campaign advises motorists that simply giving spare change directly to the panhandler merely enables the person to keep begging, instead of getting the help they need.

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The campaign encourages those people who want to help, to make donations to www.meaningfulchange.org, which goes directly to The Way Home Houston that provides the services to help those who are homeless get off the street, and find homes and employment.

City employees were on the streets Monday passing out letters to those living in homeless encampments beneath some of Houston’s freeways in downtown, that they have to be gone by May 18 or face a fine or jail time.

Houston City Councilman Dwight Boykins the city is targeting the Interstste 69 overapass in downtown, South Main Street and areas of southwest Houston.

The city council passed the bans after numerous complaints about panhandlers and from neighbors near homeless camps. They say they are victims of crime or have experienced other issues that spill out of the camps.

Some of those homeless who adhere to the order to vacate will hop a city bus and find themselves outside the city, venturing into areas of Spring along the busy FM 1960 corridor where as many as 250 homeless encampments were found between Interstate 45 and State Highway 249 within the last five years.

Video: Larry Lipton

If FM 1960 is indeed their destination, the homeless will encounter Kristyn Stillwell and her team from Hope Haven Ministries whose mission it is to help the homeless access permanent services and help them find homes and jobs.

“This isn’t just a Houston problem, it’s everyone’s problem,” Larry Lipton, who serves with the Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce Crime Prevention Committee

Last month, Stillwell shared the vision of what H.O.P.E Haven does, and like the campaign, to be the change, not give the change.

Harris County Sheriff's Deputy Sgt. Michael LeCompte talks with a homeless man sleeping behind a bus stop on FM 1960 in Spring. The man required medical attention and was taken to an area hospital. (Image: Bryan Kirk)

“I don’t like it when people give money to panhandlers,” Stillwell said.

Still shared the story of Jennifer, who lived in an encampment on FM 1960 with her husband for many years, who was rescued from the streets late last year

Jennifer, who suffers from severe mental illness and diabetes, would make $40 per hour working one corner or the other along FM 1960, and spend it all on cigars and Vodka.

Eddie, who lives in a homeless encampment in Spring, has been on the street 10 years.

The former electrician declined to talk about why he was on the street or where he came from, but said he didn’t think he’d wanted to be anywhere else.

“It was very hard to come out here and start living this way, but it would be a lot harder to go back to living what people think is normal,” he said.

Lonnie and Jessica, who’ve been on the streets for three years, have been working to try and get off and find permanent housing.

Jessica, had a job at a nearby Dollar store, but was let go after a dispute, and Lonnie who has a construction background, is hoping to catch on somewhere and start working soon.

“It’s tough being out here, but we’ll get through,” he said.

Stillwell said Jennifer was thrilled at being able to obtain a state issued identification card so she could get the services she needs.

“She can now get the services she needs, and medicine she needs for her mental illness,” Stillwell said.

However, Jennifer, who is considered disabled after losing many of her toes to diabites, and because of mental illness, is still learning simple things, such as catching a bus and using the busline, and working through the problems that caused her to be homeless in the first place.

But that’s what programs like H.O.P.E Haven and Meaningful Change are hoping to achieve, but only if people are willing to step up and help.

“We need volunteers for our mentoring program,” Stillwell said. “There are places for these people to go when they’re ready.”

Image: A McLin via Flickr

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