{"id":503423,"date":"2026-01-09T09:35:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T09:35:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/503423\/"},"modified":"2026-01-09T09:35:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T09:35:12","slug":"community-seeks-solutions-as-rising-costs-push-san-antonians-into-housing-insecurity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/503423\/","title":{"rendered":"Community seeks solutions as rising costs push San Antonians into housing insecurity"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN ANTONIO<\/strong> \u2013 The loss of a friend has turned one San Antonio woman into an advocate. <\/p>\n

KSAT first reported about Howard Lee Lyons<\/a> in November. Lyons, 59, was hit and killed by a train while chasing his dog. <\/p>\n

His friend, Jennifer Stoelb, spoke to KSAT<\/a> 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. <\/p>\n

Stoelb said after the hotel closed, Lyons became homeless. <\/p>\n

\u201cLee got hit by a train, and then you have other people that are staying … down the road in a camp,\u201d Stoelb said. <\/p>\n

Over email, KSAT confirmed with a Choice Hotels spokesperson that the property left its system on Oct. 18.<\/p>\n

Stoelb said she has been able to find another place to stay, but a lot of people haven\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt least 25 to 30 families,\u201d Stoelb said. \u201cBut even with a place to stay, it\u2019s hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019s hard to measure that number. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have a way to track, unfortunately, everybody who is in hotels,\u201d she said. \u201cBut we do see this as a common temporary situation.\u201d <\/p>\n

Close to Home is a nonprofit that helps coordinate San Antonio and Bexar County\u2019s annual Point-in-Time Count. The PIT Count captures a single-night census of people experiencing homelessness. <\/p>\n

\u201cHomelessness looks very different from person to person and from situation to situation,\u201d Hubble said. <\/p>\n

The 2026 count is scheduled for Jan. 27. Close to Home said 200 more volunteers are still needed. <\/p>\n

The deadline to sign up and help is Friday. To register, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For immediate resources, Hubble said people should contact the Community Connections Hotline<\/a> at 210-207-1799. This is where someone experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity can try to get help. <\/p>\n

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