2021 Arctic Storm

Aubry Vonck • Mar 05, 2021

Homelessness is a public health emergency every single day of the year. When disasters like hurricanes and freezes come along, that emergency becomes even more urgent. Just like we did during Hurricane Harvey, the Coalition mobilized during the 2021 winter storm to assist in providing shelter, transportation, and resources to people experiencing homelessness while also keeping the community at-large informed about our efforts and the efforts of our public and private partners.

On Thursday, February 11, various Coalition staff members began critical communications and meetings with the City and County to understand what the local plan was for responding to the incoming cold weather. At the same time, outreach teams were notified that they would need to start preparing individuals living unsheltered for the freeze and to notify them about transportation to warming centers.

Mayor Sylvester Turner held a press conference on Friday, February 12 announcing that The City of Houston Office of Emergency Management would be opening the George R. Brown Convention Center (GRB) as a warming center in the afternoon on Sunday, February 14. The Houston Health Department asked the Coalition to provide volunteers for staffing support at the GRB, and in turn, Coalition President/CEO Mike Nichols emailed partners asking for staff volunteers. Staff from The Beacon, Career and Recovery Resources, Inc., SEARCH Homeless Services, Temenos, and the Coalition stepped up to volunteer to staff the GRB. Other Coalition staffers met with Harris County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) on the 12th and they announced that they would be opening several libraries throughout the county as warming centers.

On Saturday, February 13 and Sunday, February 14, Houston METRO, the Houston Police Department, Sheriff Homeless Outreach Teams, and agency outreach partners (The Coalition for the Homeless, SEARCH Homeless Services, Avenue 360, Star of Hope, The Harris Center PATH, and U.S. Vets) transported people willing to seek shelter to the GRB and other warming centers.

From February 14-20, staff from the Coalition, The Beacon, Career & Recovery Resources, Inc., and SEARCH Homeless Services were on the ground at the GRB to assist with staffing. Healthcare for the Homeless – Houston was also on the ground providing medical care at the GRB. Throughout the week, our communications team fielded fifteen media inquiries from local and national outlets (scroll to bottom for further reading). The Coalition also maintained a blog with the most up-to-date information on resources for the storm.

Assessor volunteers from SEARCH Homeless Services, The Salvation Army, Harmony House, The Harris Center, Career and Recovery Resources, Inc., Avenue 360, and the Coalition also completed about 200 housing assessments. Thanks to the acceleration of funds from the Community COVID Housing Program (CCHP), we hope to be able to house all of those who were assessed and found to be experiencing literal homelessness in the immediate future.

Though we are just beginning the process of reflecting on this winter storm and our response, these crises always underscore the importance of strong coordination with our local government partners and advocacy that people experiencing homelessness be considered in community disaster planning and response. Through the CCHP, the Coalition hired a Disaster Response Project Manager – a permanent position – to strengthen these partnerships and develop plans and strategies to effectively respond to future disasters.

Even more, if people had access to safe, secure housing ahead of these disasters, they would be better positioned to survive them. That’s why programs like the CCHP are essential for our neighbors experiencing homelessness; from October 1, 2020 through February 18, 2021, more than 1,100 people were housed by The Way Home Continuum of Care, providing them with the secure home they deserve, particularly in a time of crisis. Subscribe to our e-newsletter to follow our progress as we seek to serve 5,000 people serving homelessness by October 2022.

Officials: Recent homeless count, permanent housing initiative may have saved thousands of unsheltered Harris County residents from cold, Community Impact Newspaper

Winter Storms Bring Deadly Risks for the Homeless, Bloomberg CityLab

Bitter Texas freeze hits most vulnerable hardest, ABC News

2 million Texas households without power as massive winter storm drives demand for electricity, Texas Tribune

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