Mayor (name not specified) and city and nonprofit officials on Friday opened a newly refurbished facility in Houston intended to serve people experiencing homelessness, saying the center will provide temporary shelter, health services and connections into longer-term housing.

The announcement brought together the mayor, city housing officials and community partners to present the center as part of the city’s existing homeless-response continuum. “This will become the model that he'll carry forward to care for our homeless and also let the general public know that we have a plan,” the mayor said, adding the site is “not the ultimate solution, but it's a huge step forward to deal with our homeless population.”

City officials and partners emphasized public safety and coordinated care. Mike Nichols, housing department director, said the facility is move-in ready and that the city expects an operator experienced in both temporary and transitional housing and mental-health care to run the site. “We think we can be opened up clearly in the first quarter,” Nichols said, adding the center is part of the “continuum” that should lead people into permanent supportive housing.

City homeland security lead Larry Satterwhite, who previously served in the Houston Police Department, said the program will pair “passion, compassion, and firmness” in responding to encampments and street homelessness, and thanked public-safety personnel and nonprofits who worked on the project. Officials cited frequent police and fire responses related to people experiencing homelessness, saying HPD and fire/EMS receive hundreds of calls a month connected to unhoused people.

Chairwoman Tiffany Thomas, who chairs the City Council housing committee, framed the center as an additional “right turn” in the city’s homelessness strategy and urged continued community engagement and philanthropy. “What we have to do on Wednesday is continue to do the hard things,” she said, urging council members to vote on related items at an upcoming council meeting.

Council member Martinez said the facility is intended to serve people “where they are,” noting the site is physically close to areas with visible street homelessness and other service providers. Several speakers noted nearby resources, including sobering centers, outreach providers and shelters already operating in the same general area.

Speakers highlighted population counts and program scale discussed at the event: Nichols said about 3,000 people in the city are currently in temporary or transitional housing or sleeping on the street; officials also cited “over 700” monthly HPD contacts and described a recent $130,000,000, 400-unit housing investment on Middle Street as an example of other housing work in the city.

Officials repeatedly said the center is a pilot and that it will be adjusted after additional community engagement and operational experience. The mayor and other speakers urged county and state partners to coordinate on reentry planning for people leaving incarceration, saying some recently released people arrive without identification or other supports. The mayor also invited nonprofits, faith groups and philanthropic donors to visit the site and contribute to operations.

Organizers asked attendees to tour the facility and speak with onsite medical advisers and first responders about services and operations. No formal council vote or ordinance was recorded at the unveiling; officials said related council action would be taken at a later meeting.

The mayor and speakers framed the center as the start of additional work, repeatedly noting that more facilities and affordable housing will be needed to address homelessness citywide.