HOUSTON – As the longest government shutdown in U.S. history stretches on, homelessness is growing more visible across the Houston area, and one woman says the state’s 211 helpline, meant to connect people to services, did not help when she needed it most.
Kimberly Kisinger said she and her daughter were recently evicted. Now homeless, she’s been forced to store her belongings between her broken-down SUV and a garage at her mother’s senior living complex, where she is not allowed to stay. Kisinger, who says she is mentally disabled and unable to work full time, told KPRC 2 she once relied on gig work but lost that ability after her car became inoperable.
“She had a long list of classes and programs she completed — first-time homebuyers, financial stability, a poverty education program — but still couldn’t find housing,” Deven Clarke reports. Kisinger said calling and texting 211 sent her in circles: referrals that led to full shelters, waiting lists and repeated instructions to call 211 again…