HOMELESSNESS IN THE COASTAL BEND
Because of bad policy and career politicians, our communities have become victims to a crisis of extreme homelessness and poverty. Too often, our policies target what to do about, rather than what to do for, the homeless. As of January 2018, over 25,000 Texans are homeless. In a state as rich and prosperous as ours it is saddening to know that there are those who are unfairly not benefiting from the very same progress that has led to the more than doubling of our economy over the past 20 years.
In Texas, there are a reported 1,917 family households, 1,935 Veterans, and 1,379 unaccompanied young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 who all are experiencing the hardships accompanied with homelessness. There is a sizeable population of over 3,000 individuals who experience chronic homelessness; that is to say that there over 3,000 Texans experiencing repeated or consistent homelessness for at least more than a year. The very important thing and equally unfortunate truth to remember is that they are not just numbers and statistics in a report but are integral parts to our communities. They are our friends and family; to whom we are duty bound to show with compassion and respect. Many of them reside right here in our neck of the woods, in the Coastal Bend. There is a sizeable homeless population here that has remained in the hundreds for years.
Texas deserves better and new leadership in order to make any progress at solving it. I have chosen to enter this race for the Texas House of Representatives in order to ensure that all have the opportunity to pursue their happiness and attain success. Where there are those in the capitol who see it necessary to demonize the homeless and ignore this crisis, I propose the opposite. We must do more to embrace our friends in need and invest in opportunity building. We can support the working poor and homeless by providing them a helping hand. No handouts nor bailouts are appropriate solutions. We must live up to the reputation of this country and truly be a land of opportunity.
Our coastal community should be a refuge for the homeless fleeing the harsh conditions of climate change and yet more often than not our policies seem more suited to tackle loitering than inequality. What we should be doing is creating public-private partnerships in the region to create, expand, and support shelters, affordable housing, and tiny homes to house our homeless. As a community we must do more and that begins with our state leaders taking the lead and tackling the root causes of homelessness such as intergenerational poverty and the lack of opportunity.
That is why when elected, I will work to strengthen our public schools, tackle substance abuse, and return local control to our cities who are best suited for developing innovative and targeted solutions to help the homeless.
Source Links
https://www.usich.gov/homelessness-statistics/tx/
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/TXNGSP
https://www.kristv.com/how-many-homeless-people-are-in-corpus-christi