Despite recent improvements, including a 43% reduction in San Antonio’s public housing waitlist, the demand for truly affordable and accessible housing remains urgent. This continued shortage highlights the need for immediate and effective action. The lack of stable housing options directly contributes to the number of residents experiencing homelessness, many of whom face life-threatening conditions during extreme heat and inclement weather. While figures vary, the crisis is visible—and it demands a coordinated, compassionate response.
To address this emergency, we urge the City of San Antonio and Bexar County to act on the following proposals and recommendations:
- Support for the Calvert and Castillo Proposals
Initiatives from Commissioner Tommy Calvert and Councilmember Teri Castillo call for humane, safe, and non-punitive shelter options that protect our unhoused neighbors from the elements. These plans emphasize dignity, safety, and care, rejecting criminalization in favor of housing-first strategies.
- Data Collection on Heat-Related Deaths
We demand the Bexar County Medical Examiner to systematically collect, disaggregate, and publish data on heat-related deaths among the unhoused. Accurate, transparent data is essential to understand the scale of the crisis and craft informed, life-saving policy responses.
- Temporary Housing for Up to 3,000 Residents
We demand the creation of transitional housing units that can serve up to 3,000 unhoused residents. These units would offer immediate refuge while helping individuals connect with longer-term solutions, including permanent housing and wraparound services.
- Opposition to Sweeps
We demand an end to forced removals of unhoused people from public spaces unless viable housing alternatives are simultaneously offered. These sweeps often worsen trauma and displace individuals without improving outcomes.
- Deploying Autonomous Front-Line Advocates
Both Commissioner Clay-Flores and Commissioner Moody must empower independent, community-based advocates to conduct outreach, support services, and emergency response. These advocates should be deputized or recognized in a non-cost-prohibitive way—ensuring legitimacy without requiring burdensome certification processes that limit community capacity.
- Unified County Support
With Commissioner Moody now aligned with our mission, all five Bexar County Commissioners support a unified vision for dignity, health, and safety for San Antonio’s unhoused residents. This is a critical milestone—and we must ensure this momentum leads to real, tangible implementation at both the county and city levels.
By uniting community members, policymakers, and advocacy organizations, we can build a San Antonio where every resident—housed or unhoused—is treated with dignity. Our collective response must reflect the values of compassion, justice, and the fundamental human right to shelter.
SOURCE:
"San Antonio’s waitlist for public housing just got cut by 43%. Here’s why."
The San Antonio Report
https://sanantonioreport.org/the-waitlist-for-housing-in-san-antonio-just-got-cut-by-nearly-65-heres-why