A proposed expansion of the so-called civility ordinance comes as the city prepares to open a large homeless services center. The Houston Police Department has been ramping up citations of homeless people to record levels since mid-July.
As city officials prepare to open a large homeless services center in Houston’s East Downtown, the city council on Wednesday temporarily delayed a measure that would effectively prohibit homeless people from sidewalks in a sprawling area around the planned facility.
The proposal came after some residents of East Downtown and Second Ward spoke out against the service center, which could temporarily shelter up to 320 homeless people at a time as they’re referred to services and housing.
The addition of a new zone to the so-called civility ordinance across the Greater East End would mark the third expansion of the rule over the past year. The consideration comes as citations dramatically outpace the number of people moved into housing, despite efforts from Mayor John Whitmire’s administration to permanently move people off the street…