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Consuelo's Place reports 64% housing-placement rate; committee presses city on long-term site plans
Summary
City staff and Consuelo's Place leaders told the Quality of Life Committee the Midtown non-congregate shelter placed about 64% of residents into longer-term housing in 2025 and is becoming an independent nonprofit; councilors pressed staff for a development plan because the current building may need replacement.
Kristen Woods, a program manager in the city's Youth and Family Services division, and Michelle Williams, director of Consuelo's Place, told the Quality of Life Committee on April 1 that the shelter has become the city's largest non-congregate facility and plays a key role in the local homeless-services continuum.
Woods said the city's contract for fiscal year 2026 with Consuelo's Place is $780,000 (contract number 3250019) and noted the shelter will soon operate as its own 501(c)(3) after fiscal sponsorship ends. Williams said Consuelo's Place runs 60 private rooms and served 218 individuals in 2025, with an average length of stay of about 276 days.
"If you had to describe [our mission] to a 5-year-old: we take people who are homeless and we put them into housing," Williams told the committee, summarizing the shelter's core work and the wraparound case-management requirement for all clients.
Williams said 64% of Consuelo's Place clients in 2025 moved into longer-term housing, a rate she characterized as well above typical shelter-to-housing conversion figures. She described discharges by category (self-discharge, behavior-related discharges, court/hospital outcomes) and said the shelter serves a notably high share of clients with disabilities and medical needs; the program also hosts a small medical-respite partnership with Christus St. Vincent Hospital.
"We rarely call the police department to assist us but we do often require EMS services to support our high-needs medical clients," Williams said, describing operational challenges.
Committee members pressed for clarity about the shelter's physical future. Councilor Casset said her understanding is that the Midtown building is slated for demolition and asked whether the city has a relocation or rebuild plan. The deputy city manager replied that the city is "unwavering" in its commitment to support Consuelo's Place and that staff are working with a range of departments to identify viable alternatives; no final options were proposed at the meeting.
City staff and Williams said Consuelo's Place is pursuing a development plan and has requested funding and technical support for a contractor to identify realistic sites, budgets and timelines. Williams said the organization had recently received its IRS determination letter and expected to be fiscally independent by July 1.
Councilors praised the shelter's program model and staff while urging a formal presentation of facility assessments and funding options to the governing body before the budget cycle. Councilor Chavis said the shelter's private-room model and case-management approach are major factors in its placement success.
The committee acknowledged the shelter's role in providing medical respite and specialized services to clients who cannot be served in congregate shelters. Sierra Logan, a supervisor at Christus St. Vincent Hospital, testified during public comment that Consuelo's Place enables medical-rest services that the hospital cannot provide when patients are discharged to congregate settings.
Next steps: committee members asked staff to return with a development plan and cost estimates for retaining or rebuilding a long-term facility for Consuelo's Place; the committee scheduled additional follow-up and recommended bringing options to the governing body for budget consideration.
