HOUSTON – A major cleanup happened this week at a property off West Bellfort on Houston’s southwest side — the same location where seven people were arrested last week accused of stealing electricity and water to power a makeshift RV encampment.
When police first arrived, officers found RVs plugged directly into city utilities. Monday, crews dismantled the encampment, loading debris, tearing down structures and removing long stretches of extension cords and hoses. Authorities say the seven people arrested had been tapping directly into a transformer and city water lines, powering appliances and even a washing machine.
The property owner, Obii Aham-Neze, said he has been working to clear the site since last week.
“I mean, people take over your place literally and run you out,” Aham-Neze said. “It is extremely frustrating. Look at all this — this is just a portion of it.”
Much of the cleanup has been funded by the Brays Oaks Management District, which said the location had become a magnet for illegal dumping and unsafe activity.
“If we hadn’t stepped in, it would have continued to grow,” Sylvia Rivas of the Brays Oaks Management District said. “Our duty is to keep this area clean and safe for residents and business owners.”
City leaders said the incident underscores broader challenges around affordability and homelessness in Houston.
“This isn’t just a homelessness issue — it’s an affordability issue,” Council Member Edward Pollard said. “We can’t arrest our way out of it. Real solutions require investment in housing, services and pathways out of poverty.”
Pollard’s office said the city is working with nonprofit partners to expand shelter beds, improve mental-health and addiction services, and increase affordable housing options — efforts intended to prevent encampments like this from reappearing.
Aham-Neze said he plans to barricade the property to prevent people from returning.
City leaders said their focus now is on addressing the conditions that push people into unsafe and illegal living situations.