Citizens group presents 'A City at Home' plan as Wichita Falls leaders pledge coordination

A citizen-led coalition presented a comprehensive report to the Wichita Falls City Council on July 1 calling for expanded data sharing, street-based case management and new shelter and respite options to respond to a documented rise in both sheltered and unsheltered homelessness.

The report, titled A City at Home, was introduced by Louis Wilson, an organizer and physician, and Steve Sparks, who co-led the Citizens Addressing Homelessness effort. Wilson said the initiative gathered health care providers, nonprofits, public safety and citizens and that "the time is now." The county judge told the council the county "stands ready to join with the city" to turn the report into action.

The report’s authors said the homelessness surge in Wichita Falls mirrors national trends and that key local drivers include addiction, untreated mental illness, higher housing costs and migration of unsheltered people who are not necessarily from Wichita Falls. Wilson told the council the community needs better client-level information sharing through the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) and said the Continuum of Care’s existing tools are "quite powerful" but are not being fully used.

Wilson and Sparks urged the council to adopt a coordinated approach rather than rely solely on enforcement. Sparks said the city should "do something for the homeless and our community," stressing programs that reach "the reachable" and restore people toward self-sufficiency.

Several public speakers — including representatives of Faith Mission and nonprofit providers — described existing services and gaps, especially for women with minor children and unsheltered people with acute medical needs. Faith Mission’s representative outlined that the organization provides shelter, case management, addiction recovery and job-readiness services and said more case managers are needed.

Council and county officials responded with offers to coordinate. Mayor Tim Short told speakers the city would move forward: "in the coming weeks and months, we'll probably put together some type of ordinance for a committee to get this ball rolling" and said staff would consider revised ordinances and a public information campaign. City Attorney James McKechnie said his plan is "to bring at least two different ordinances to the council first meeting in August." County leadership urged creation of a task force or group to maintain momentum.

No formal council action or vote was taken on the report during the meeting; presenters and the county framed the next steps as coordination and drafting of ordinances and implementation plans. Organizers said the report includes a proposed action-plan outline (noted during the presentation as beginning on page 52 of the document) and specific recommendations such as expanding HMIS participation, creating street-based case management positions, developing respite units for people discharged from hospitals, and piloting innovations in permanent supportive housing and voucher circulation.

Public commenters and council members emphasized that ordinances alone will not solve the problem and reiterated the need for cross-agency case management tied to health-care providers, law enforcement and nonprofit partners. Organizers said several actions in the plan are achievable within 12 to 24 months if city and county leadership commit and staff positions and partnerships are funded.

The council closed the public hearing after supporters and affected residents spoke. Staff and presenters said the report is public and available on request; presenters and county officials said citizens and nonprofits plan to remain engaged as the city and county develop ordinances and implementation steps.