The Houston area has received national attention for dramatically reducing its number of people living without homes by more than half since 2011 through a seemingly simple solution: offering them housing.
On a gorgeous, sun-filled morning, Lance Cosper sat cross-legged on a tiny patio made of pavers in front of his tent and shared his good news: He’d been approved for short-term rental assistance.
As Cosper watched to see who might turn up, a small figure appeared on the sidewalk. He was wearing a bowling shirt, rectangular sunglasses and square-toed leather shoes; in his hand was a plastic bag. He plopped it near Cosper’s feet and gestured at it, then at the group, smiling and tilting his head.“Family,” mouthed the man, Albert Castillo, motioning at Cosper and the five others who sat in a circle.
He sat down next to Cosper, who had settled into his chair and set his eyes upon the horizon. The milk had begun to sweat with condensation.If everything goes according to plan, the camp and all of its inhabitants soon will be gone. “It’s the safest place to be homeless that I know,” Cosper said. Everyone in the circle of tents had made an unspoken pact to look out for one another.
He was sober after financial troubles, divorce and the deaths of his parents had threatened his prosperous life as a construction manager and cost him the two homes he had owned — 5 acres in the ranch-dotted town of Splendora north of Houston and a brick home with a pool in Kingwood. fell into a rhythm, learning where generous individuals or food kitchens provided meals or how to sell food stamps for cash. He learned the schedule of the shower truck that came by Wednesday and Saturday.Patricia Stevenson, right, a good Samaritan who regularly checks in on the men at the camp, joins in a toast of sparkling apple juice in honor of a friend under the U.S. 59 Freeway on March 12, 2022, in Houston.
Leeds sat in a folding chair, nestling the kitten in his lap. “Don’t ask me why I did this,” he said. “I can’t even take care of myself. But I’ll take care of that cat.” He tickled her belly. He had already decided on a name: Claws, for the needle-sharp nails she used to try to climb up his shirt.Gary relaxes inside his tent with his cat on Jan. 20, 2022. He says having a cat has been helpful with dealing with his mental health struggles.
When Leeds got out, he qualified for Social Security and disability payments but had no luck renting. Gary Leeds places a kitten in the inside pocket of his jacket before going to an appointment at the Beacon on March 18, 2022, in Houston.Cosper took comfort in knowing that he had been approved for housing. But each day he told himself he would visit apartments, he put it off. It was so far to travel by bus, especially not knowing whether there was a vacancy. Finally he heard troubling news — he had lost his spot because his application had been inactive. He was shocked.
He’d also built infrastructure: trenches and berms to direct the flow of rainfall away from the tents. The nonprofit he had been working with agreed to make an exception and reactivated his case. This time, he promised, he’d find an apartment by the deadline. He had weekly check-ins with his case manager to make sure of it.
But in the meantime, his mental health was slipping. The last time he tried to pick up his medication, the community health center was closed. “It was my first time in the hospital for a while!” he said. “And they were nice. When you’re stabbed, they’re nice to you. When you OD, they’re like — let him die.”Godofredo A. Vásquez/Staff photographerAs Dehn recovered, he also spent time trying to improve Leeds’ state of mind. He built Leeds paver-lined garden beds on either side of his tent and filled them with dirt and mulch that Stevenson had purchased.
Alex constructs a cross to honor his friend Albert Castillo before a memorial service under the U.S. 59 Freeway on March 12, 2022. Castillo died in Amarillo.Spring arrived, breezy and hopeful. A friend found Leeds a new kitten, and the camp agreed to share the responsibilities of raising her. He’d always said he wanted only temporary housing, something long enough for him to get another job in home construction that would allow him to rent something nicer. He wanted to regain a semblance of his previous life. But, he said hopelessly, he couldn’t get that kind of job without a driver’s license.
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