SAN ANTONIO – The loss of a friend has turned one San Antonio woman into an advocate.
KSAT first reported about Howard Lee Lyons in November. Lyons, 59, was hit and killed by a train while chasing his dog.
His friend, Jennifer Stoelb, spoke to KSAT in the days after his death. She said they met while working and living at an Econo Lodge off Loop 410 and Interstate 35 North.
Stoelb said after the hotel closed, Lyons became homeless.
“Lee got hit by a train, and then you have other people that are staying … down the road in a camp,” Stoelb said.
Over email, KSAT confirmed with a Choice Hotels spokesperson that the property left its system on Oct. 18.
Stoelb said she has been able to find another place to stay, but a lot of people haven’t.
“At least 25 to 30 families,” Stoelb said. “But even with a place to stay, it’s hard.”
After learning about what happened, KSAT wanted to see how many other people in San Antonio are living in a similar situation. Katie Hubble, the director of communications and development at Close to Home, said it’s hard to measure that number.
“We don’t have a way to track, unfortunately, everybody who is in hotels,” she said. “But we do see this as a common temporary situation.”
Close to Home is a nonprofit that helps coordinate San Antonio and Bexar County’s annual Point-in-Time Count. The PIT Count captures a single-night census of people experiencing homelessness.
“Homelessness looks very different from person to person and from situation to situation,” Hubble said.
The 2026 count is scheduled for Jan. 27. Close to Home said 200 more volunteers are still needed.
The deadline to sign up and help is Friday. To register, click here.
For immediate resources, Hubble said people should contact the Community Connections Hotline at 210-207-1799. This is where someone experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity can try to get help.
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