HomeMy WebLinkAbout(0006) IR 21-10706 - Homeless Camp Abatement UpdateINFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 21-10706
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council November 16, 2021
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SUBJECT: HOMELESS CAMP ABATEMENT UPDATE
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Code Compliance has experienced a significant demand for homeless camp abatement services over the
past 12-18 months. As a result, the Department has moved one (1) Code Compliance Officer from primarily
serving neighborhoods to working full-time addressing camp related activities. In addition, the Code
Compliance Department has had to curtail some ad hoc litter and community blight services in order to
address both the rising number of camps and the amount of waste produced by the camps.
Prior to abatement, camps are visited by the HOPE (Homeless Outreach Programs and Enforcement) Unit.
The HOPE Unit has two primary goals: (1) to provide a more compassionate response to homeless
individuals and (2) to contribute more directly to the goal of finding a permanent solution to homelessness
in the City. After the HOPE Unit coordinates the mobilization of necessary resources, they approach the
homeless individuals within the identified sites to confirm the need to pack -up, remove personal items, and
vacate the area prior to a determined date in order to avoid citations or arrests.
While Code Compliance does the lion's share of abatement, other departments such as TPW, Park and
Recreation, Police, and TxDOT also play a role. The cost to private property owners is not known. However,
it is significant over time as the homeless use and litter privately -owned land and buildings.
Over the past three (3) years, the Code Compliance Department has seen an increase in the costs
associated with cleaning up homeless camps. The costs doubled over a three-year period and are
continuing to increase:
• FY 2019: $240,175
• FY 2020: $363,341
• FY 2021: $533,114
In addition, the volume of debris collected has increased from 315 tons in FY 2020 to 409 tons in FY 2021.
20-25% of the debris collected during these clean-ups is contributed to the over distribution of tents, sleeping
bags, blankets, clothes, shoes, and food from the public. Clothes are used for bedding and then discarded
in exchange for new donated clothes; tents are abandoned in camps and replaced by new donated tents,
etc. While there is a goodwill intent to these donations, the donations drive up the City's cost and are not
used effectively by the homeless population, e.g., some homeless may need a jacket while other homeless
waste jackets as bedding for a few nights and then discard.
While homeless camps were once centered around major services to the homeless, we now see homeless
camps throughout the City. Attached is a map for camp locations in FY 2021. The greater community
distribution adds additional time to enforcement and abatement timelines (locating/travel) and increases
blight as it makes it more difficult to be proactive.
Citizens can report homeless concerns to a single number: (817) 392-1234 or by email:
1234(a)_fortworthtexas.gov. For more information on the City's Direction Home and other Homelessness
Programs, please contact Tara Perez at (817) 392-2235. For questions regarding homeless camp
abatement, please contact Brandon Scott Bennett, Director of the Code Compliance Department, at (817)
392-6322.
David Cooke
City Manager
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER
FORT WORTH, TEXAS
INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council
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SUBJECT: HOMELESS CAMP ABATEMENT UPDATE
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No. 21-10706
November 16, 2021
Page 2 of 2
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ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER
FORT WORTH, TEXAS