Part of the Exploring Homelessness Among People Living in Encampments and Associated Costs sponsored by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of Policy Development and Research at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, this report presents a community profile of encampments and response in Houston, Texas in fiscal year 2019. At the time of the study prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the city estimated that roughly 300 lived in encampments in Houston with municipal spending of approximately $2,000 per unsheltered individual. The study team conducted observations of encampments and stakeholder interviews with city staff, nonprofit outreach workers, nonprofit organizations, and with people who have lived in encampment settings in the community. Researchers collected information about the community’s response to encampments and the costs associated with those responses.

This report is part of the Exploring Homelessness Among People Living in Encampments and Associated Costs study. Click here to learn more about this study.