A proposal to expand Houston’s existing civility ordinance to a 24-hour enforcement in the East End has reignited debate among residents, city leaders, and advocates for the homeless.
The ordinance would prohibit people from sitting, sleeping, or storing belongings on sidewalks — but many say the expansion raises more questions than it answers.
Residents Voice Safety and Security Concerns
The discussion stems from the city’s plan to build a new Homeless Superhub near the boundary of the East End. Some residents worry the facility will draw increased foot traffic into their neighborhoods.
“When we all of a sudden add another potential 200 people to that equation, the first place they’re probably going to come is right here to the park,”— Scott Singleton, East End resident
Others, like neighbor T-Lee Gant, argue that expanding the civility ordinance could unfairly criminalize people experiencing homelessness.
“If you criminalize sitting, you’re just going to put people in jail for resting. That doesn’t sound like the solution to me,” Gant said.
City Officials Seek Balance Between Compassion and Order
Councilmember Mario Castillo, who represents District H, has been meeting with residents to hear their concerns. He said the city is working with the Parks Department to increase patrols and maintain safety in public spaces near the Superhub.
“I spoke yesterday with the Parks Director, and he advocated for a more consistent rotation of park rangers through those areas,” Castillo said.
Castillo added that staff from the new hub, including trained outreach professionals, could serve as an added resource for the community.
“Having the homeless outreach team stationed at the Emancipation Hub gives the surrounding community trained professionals whose day-to-day work is with the homeless population. To me, that is a key asset,” Castillo said.
Funding and Resources Under Scrutiny
Some councilmembers expressed concerns about whether the city has enough resources to support the ordinance expansion.
“If we do expand this particular civility ordinance, what does that look like in terms of how many beds we actually have? Because now we have two areas that would really lean on this new hub,” Councilmember Letitia Plummer, At-Large Position 4 asked.
Plummer also questioned the city’s funding stability for homeless services, noting that federal ARPA funds — which have supported outreach and crisis intervention programs — are dwindling.
“I’m hearing that our funding is either lost or decreasing because we did not get the congressional finances to support the programs,” Plummer said.
Castillo acknowledged those challenges but said city staff at the hub could help offset gaps left by the funding decline.
Vote Delayed as Questions Remain
While the proposal to expand the ordinance was discussed at length during the last City Council meeting, the vote was ultimately tabled due to lingering questions about enforcement, resources, and data transparency.
One unresolved issue is whether citations have increased since the initial civility ordinance took effect. Some councilmembers have heard reports of a 500–1,000% increase in citations — a claim the mayor has disputed. Castillo said he is still waiting for confirmation from the Houston Police Department.
“I wanted to make sure people had accurate information and their questions answered so they can make their decision on this item next week,” Castillo said.
The revised proposal is expected to return to council for consideration next Wednesday.