Houston officials punted their vote on Wednesday to spend $16 million on a “super hub” for up to 225 members of the city’s unhoused population, following an outcry from residents around the site concerned about the lack of community input.
Council was set to vote to buy a property east of downtown, but the item was pulled from the council agenda. It’s unclear when the item will be placed back on a future council agenda for a decision.
The development was pitched as a part of Mayor John Whitmire’s “housing first” plan to end street homelessness. The property at 419 Emancipation Ave. used to be home to a shelter for migrant children until it lost funding and its lease expired in August. Before it became a migrant shelter, it was a homeless shelter operated by Star of Hope…