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Houston updates council on planned 80‑room homelessness facility and housing recovery funding
Summary
City officials described an 80‑room triage/treatment facility called "April," outlined an operator selection through a NOFA, and summarized expected operating costs and funding sources; council asked about security, roof repairs and traffic mitigation. The committee also heard requests to use CDBG‑DR funds for disaster recovery homelessness services.
The Houston Quality of Life Committee heard an update on a planned centralized homelessness facility known as "April," and received staff briefings on several housing recovery funding items.
Director Melody Barr, the department director speaking to the committee, described April as a "triage, treatment and transformation" front door that will provide assessment and connections to services for people experiencing homelessness. "This facility will have 80 rooms with a maximum of 4 people per room," Barr said, describing on‑site security, coordinated operations with law enforcement and on‑site health and behavioral supports.
Barr said the city expects to close on the property in early February and to advertise and select an operator through a federal‑compliant NOFA process. "We're going through the review and selection process now, and we hope to be at City Council by March 18 with the selected operator," she said, adding that the operator would then assemble staff and a program and that the city anticipates opening the facility prior to June 2026.
On financing, Barr told the committee the program plans to rely in part on Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG‑DR) funds: "The first funding will be approximately $10,000,000 a year for 3 years," she said, and the city expects additional state and federal mental health dollars, local general fund contributions, tourism management district CDBG allocations and philanthropic and corporate donations. Barr estimated annual operation costs at roughly $12 million to $14 million.
Council members pressed staff on near‑term details. Councilmember Mario Castillo asked if the seller was contributing to roof repairs; Barr said the city negotiated a price reduction and will have the city's contractors perform the roof work during the operator's 60‑day ramp period. On neighborhood safety and communication, Castillo and others asked whether neighbors would have a direct contact line to the facility; Barr said staff were planning a "direct line for neighbors and for major businesses around there," and that coordinated response with Houston Police Department and outreach teams would be part of operations.
The committee also reviewed related housing items that staff said support recovery and stabilization: a proposed CDBG‑DR program (item 3a) to use approximately $41,000,000 to fund shelter operations, case management and long‑term recovery services for residents affected by the May 16, 2024 derecho and the July 8, 2024 Hurricane Barrow; a requested first amendment (item 3b) to add $100,000 to an after‑school program run by Catholic Charities in Alief ISD; and a third amendment (item 3c) to Covenant House of Texas to provide up to $545,534 in combined emergency and CDBG funds to continue shelter and support services for young adults.
Next steps: staff said they expect to return to the committee with a recommended facility operator in March and to bring any contract and operating budget for council approval thereafter. No final council vote on the April operator or the facility operation was recorded during this committee meeting.
