Since the City Council adopted Homeless and Mental Health Strategic Plan in February 2023, the City of Killeen has taken great strides to combat the issue and provide support in our city within the first year.
Highlights include:
- Designating nearly $2.7 million in local and federal funds for the construction of the Killeen Reunification Center, formerly Arbor of Hope West.
- Fall 2024 construction on a Reunification Center is planned on Liberty Street. It is comprised of one (1) 11,550 sq. ft. building and one (1) 6,300 sq. ft. insulated building.
- Met with Cove House leadership with intent to provide in HOME-ARP funds to support the Homeless-to-Housed (transitional housing) Village, which would be near the Killeen Reunification Center
- Awarded a $94K grant, which was used to fund (1) Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) that has been incorporated in the Killen Police Department's Community Engagement Unit and the Homeless Outreach Team.
Background
In 2021, the City of Killeen hired a consultant to complete a Homeless and Mental Health Strategic Plan to help appropriately address homelessness in Bell County.
View strategic plan to reduce or eliminate homelessness in Bell County: Operation: Rise
It was a months-long process and part of the Homeless and Mental Strategic Plan. Dr. Robert Marbut, Jr. gathered statistics on those experiencing homelessness in Bell County. He also conducted focus groups and invited agencies from all over the county to participate, including faith-based groups, service industries, first responders and school districts.
Marbut conducted surveys to gather data on demographics, as well as completed site visits and tours with agencies and stakeholders, including free health clinics. Marbut observed successfully-run facilities that support individuals experiencing homelessness, including The Bridge in Dallas, Haven for Hope in San Antonio, Community First Village in Austin and Centex ARC (Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Center) in Temple.
Marbut presented his initial findings to City Council on Sept. 6, 2022, addressing the five, strategic keys to successfully manage and reduce homelessness (understanding the exact problems, addressing the root causes/triggers, making big changes, improving service delivery, and ‘engaging’ vs. ‘enabling’), key data observations (including duration, gender trends, pre and post-employment numbers, homeless veteran rates and home-grown metrics).
The consultant studied five cohorts of homeless groups in Bell County, including those in encampments, males, women, families and individuals at risk of homelessness.
The City of Killeen’s Homeless and Mental Health Strategic Plan includes earmarked funds for the construction of a multiplex with transitional housing and hiring a Licensed Master Social Worker.
As the City progresses in the implementation phase of the plan, we do anticipate there may be a need to refine our approach to ensure that the services needed to address homelessness and mental health in our community are delivered with the intent to maximize optimum, long-term success. The City anticipates that there could be some changes coming, including a renaming and restructuring of what has been called the Arbor of Hope campus.
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