According to the Concho Valley Homeless Planning Coalition there are around 175 individuals and families in San Angelo who do not have any form of shelter. Of these 40 are chronically homeless and 12 are veterans. There are 153 individuals and families on a wait list for housing, and around 230 San Angelo students who deal with homelessness in one form or another. These numbers are just estimates. The true number is likely higher. Sometimes the lack of shelter can be a matter of life and death. Freezing weather presents a challenge for these San Angeloans. Our community offers few options.
For over six years there was no type of emergency shelter to provide people a place to sleep out of the cold. The Salvation Army reopened its emergency shelter at 122 W. 2nd Street last October. It is the only shelter in San Angelo. While the shelter was closed the city eventually opened a few warming centers in the recent past, since the shelter reopened the city has stopped doing that.
We spoke with Major Alfonso Martinez of The Salvation Army last week and he said they had, “been a little busy” during the cold snap. The shelter has a total capacity of 60 beds, but it is only open in the evening from 5:00 p.m. until 7:30 a.m. the next morning. It does not provide people a place to shelter from the cold during the day. During the freezing weather last week the shelter averaged around 26-27 guests per night. The shelter also can accommodate families. It has four rooms for families and those are almost always full. Martinez said since reopening he has been surprised by the number of families that have come in seeking a place to stay.
But there are conditions. Some persons are glad to accept them. Others chose to stay on the street. Typical check-in at the shelter includes searching of the person’s bags and belongings to ensure they are not bringing in any weapons of any type, illegal drugs or alcohol. They are provided with a towel, blanket and hygiene items and given the chance to take a shower and clean up. Dinner is served and afterwards they can relax or watch TV. The shelter helps not only persons who do not have a home, but those at risk of becoming homeless. A guest or family can stay three days no questions asked. On the fourth day a social worker follows up with them to help formulate a plan to move into a more permanent residence. The average stay is around thirty days. As hard as it is for many to understand, there are also persons who prefer staying on the street. They might take advantage of the shelter for one or two days and then move on. There are others who for one reason or another choose not to go to the shelter.
During the day, the shelter is closed so these San Angeloans must find other places and ways to keep warm. St. Paul Presbyterian Church maintains a warming center called the Oasis during the day. Last week 50-70 people took advantage of it, many of them students. The Stephens Library on Beauregard downtown, while not an actual warming center, essentially functions as a place where many people gather during the day to keep out of the cold. The public library is always one of the focal points in any community to serve the public. It is a great place for people to get resource information to those in need for other places to go as it works closely with other non-profits like the Concho Valley Community Action Council. The library has resource board on the 1st and 2nd floors that provide shelter information, information about food banks, and more.
San Angelo leaders are not aware of any known camp sites currently being used by the homeless according to Sidney Timmer Community Engagement Director with the Concho Valley Community Action Agency. After the city demolished the tent city off 14th Street many San Angeloans who lived there have become reluctant to share information about where they are living now. So, the end result is the homeless community has dispersed around the City rather than living in one location. Timmer says the problem is much bigger than just when cold weather hits. “When extreme weather comes our way, whether its heat, tornadoes or snow, there are numerous people at risk. Whether they are living on the street, or in a home without food or utilities, these lives are at risk. As a community we need to step up and take care of our own.”
The Concho Valley Homeless Planning Coalition is working to do just that. The coalition is a group made up of around twenty community partners who have come together to address how we assist our neighbors who need a temporary place to live. Along with the City and Texas Department of Transportation the coalition has been actively working for over a year on a longer term temporary housing solution with ongoing case management. They have looked at several programs in other cities around the country to learn what other communities have done. Those included Lubbock, Denton, Little Rock. Salt Lake City, Austin and even Hawaii. This effort continues and hopefully will come to fruition in the next few years.
