Homelessness and its impact on businesses in the Houston area

houston – The Coalition For The Homeless wrapped up its multi-day annual tally of the homeless population in the three counties on Friday.

It included downtown Houston. One business in the area said the presence of homeless tents nearby could be an eyesore, raising safety concerns among customers.

Tout Suite Café celebrated the grand opening of its third cafe in Trembly Park with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Located less than 2 miles from the other downtown cafes on Commerce Street.

“I used to have this thing called Tent City right in front of me. [so] That has been our view for a long time.

Ruiz said placing a homeless tent directly across from a cafe can give customers a negative perception that their safety is at risk. He said it’s not the best for business.

“People in the suburbs who don’t really know it’s city life will come in and be scared,” Lewis said. I literally got to the point where I had to take someone to the car I never said anything to them we love them but it was It’s like giving people that come a second thought.”

Ana Rausch is VP of Program Operations for Coalition For The Homeless.

This week, volunteers spent more than a week counting and surveying the homeless population in Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery counties to get a sense of the homelessness situation.

“There are many stereotypes about homelessness because people who experience homelessness are more likely to be victims of crime than commit crimes,” Rausch said.

According to the coalition, the number of people experiencing homelessness in 2022 has dropped by 20% compared to pre-corona levels in 2020.

That population may appear to be growing downtown, but Rausch said official numbers from the counts will be known in the spring.

“The visible signs of homelessness may make it look like there are more people here and there, but there have been over 26,000 people living here since 2012,” Rausch said.