Executive Order To Remove Homeless Camps

This is stupid without a comprehensive plan to help people get back on their feet. Unfunded mandates are the bane of public education and likely public services as well.

Fun fact: Texas outlawed sleeping/camping on public property in the last legislative session. It did not provide any funding for cities to do something with the homeless people they're supposed to remove from public sight. Guess what? Still homeless people camping out. The police don't have the manpower to round them all up, and the city jail doesn't have capacity. We literally see people sleeping underneath the signs that say it's illegal for them to do so in that spot.

Houston does have a housing first program that has actually been very successful and is considered a model for other cities. We have reduced the number of homeless on the streets by about two thirds. But it has required coordination between the entities providing housing and those who provide other services - mental health, addiction, job training, clothing, and food, among others. But still, some people remain on the street.

www.cbsnews.com/news/how-houston-successfully-reduced-homelessness/

And I can't find the article right now, but it's also been reported that a good chunk of those the city helps are employed and on their own feet within six months or a year.