SB 2623 would ban homeless shelters within 1,500 feet of schools or parks. Advocates warn it could close critical facilities statewide. 온라인카지노사이트 5’s Meredith Yeomans has the story.
The Texas legislative session is winding down, but a bill still on the table is concerning homeless advocates.
SB 2623 could force shelters across the state to shut down by creating buffer zones around schools and parks.
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Supporters say it's needed to protect kids, but advocates, like Jill Scigliano, warn of devastating impacts on the homeless. Scigliano is CEO of The Samaritan Inn in McKinney, the largest homeless shelter in Collin County. She says it serves more than 200 people per night.
“That includes men, women, families, and children. At any given time, a third of those who are staying with us are little kids under the age of 12,” explained Scigliano.
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But the resource that so many depend on is now potentially at risk itself.
“I'm very concerned about SB 2623,” said Scigliano.
SB 2623, authored by Republican state Sen. Brandon Creighton of Conroe, creates "school safety zones" and would force some homeless service providers to relocate if they’re too close to a school or park.
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The bill prohibits homeless service providers from operating within 1,500 feet of a school, college or park.
The Samaritan Inn falls well within that range, since some of its housing is located next door to North Park in McKinney.
Supporters argue the bill is needed to clean up certain parks in Texas, like one in South Austin. One resident in the Western Trails neighborhood wrote to lawmakers, "We used to use the park nearly every day, but it has become unsafe and a health risk. There are nearly always homeless individuals sleeping, loitering, and camping/trying to camp.”
Eric Samuels with the Texas Homeless Network says the bill is too broad and would threaten hundreds of homeless navigation service providers statewide. It would also create a task force to determine which ones fall under the law.
“These providers provide critical services, and in some communities, they’re the only provider,” said Samuels.
Samuels says some of the impacted homeless navigation service providers have owned the land and building where they’re located for decades.
"If they have to move, they’re going to lose that property or have to sell it, and they don’t know where they would be able to relocate," he explained.
Scigliano says she traveled to Austin on Monday to try to convince lawmakers that the so-called "school safety zone" bill does more harm than good.
“What we know is that this is one bill that can have a massive impact on the homelessness system all across Texas,” said Scigliano.
SB 2623 has cleared the state Senate and is now in the House. It could be scheduled to be heard by the full House as early as Tuesday.
The legislative session is scheduled to end on June 2.
