Some community members are already opposed to the facility. The housing department described it as “a place of refuge for people with no other places to go.” The housing department plans to pursue a city council vote for the purchase on Oct. 15.
The city of Houston’s housing department hopes to open a facility with 150 to 225 beds for homeless people in East Downtown sometime in early 2026.
The proposal comes as Houston Mayor John Whitmire’s administration ramps up efforts to get homeless people off the streets. The “superhub” is a key pillar of the multipronged initiative, framed as a housing-focused alternative to criminalization.
Housing department director Mike Nichols described the site as “a place of refuge for people with no other places to go.” It would be the first of multiple such hubs across the city, though the department only plans to have temporary beds in the centrally located “superhub.”…