{"id":69508,"date":"2025-07-17T09:13:15","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T09:13:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/69508\/"},"modified":"2025-07-17T09:13:15","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T09:13:15","slug":"houston-expands-civility-ordinance-adds-mental-health-response-for-homeless-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/69508\/","title":{"rendered":"Houston expands civility ordinance, adds mental health response for homeless crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\"><strong>HOUSTON<\/strong> \u2013 For the first time, peace officers in Houston will now be able to connect individuals experiencing homelessness with mental health crisis resources\u2014part of a newly expanded city ordinance aimed at addressing complex issues on the streets of Downtown and East Downtown.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 kDvXdO font_openSans articleList\">\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\"\/><\/ul>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The update, approved during a City Council meeting this week with a 14-2 vote, expands the existing Civility Ordinance, which previously restricted sitting, lying down, or storing personal belongings on sidewalks in 12 areas of the city between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. That restriction will now apply 24\/7 in Downtown and East Downtown.<\/p>\n<p>Mental health crisis teams now involved<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">In a major shift, the expansion includes a new amendment introduced by Councilwoman Dr. Letitia Plummer, allowing officers to call in specialized mental health support teams when they believe someone may be in crisis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cIn instances where law enforcement observes an individual appearing to be experiencing a mental health crisis, the officer may engage appropriate mental health-crisis resources,\u201d said Dr. Plummer. \u201cThat includes dispatching our Mobile Crisis Outreach Team (MCOT) or the Crisis Intervention Response Team (CERT).\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Importantly, these mental health services may be deployed either in-person or via telehealth.<\/p>\n<p>Aligned with new state law<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">This amendment comes by way of a significant change to Texas\u2019 Health and Safety Code, which takes effect in September 2025. The change allows peace officers to detain individuals in a suspected mental health crisis without a warrant\u2014a new and controversial tool.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">However, Chief Larry Satterwhite with Houston\u2019s Public Safety and Homeland Security division voiced concerns over the city\u2019s limited resources.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 kDvXdO font_openSans articleList\">\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\"\/><\/ul>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cI\u2019m just not sure that we have the resources to make this happen every time someone says no. They say no, a lot. So, we\u2019ll bring this team out every time?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">To address those concerns, the amendment uses flexible language, saying officers may deploy mental health services, not must or shall, depending on team availability.<\/p>\n<p>A double-edged sword?<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">While some council members believe expanding the ordinance could help steer unhoused individuals toward shelters or housing options, others fear it could lead to an increase in citations for vulnerable populations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Mayor John Whitmire expressed concern that enforcement may lead to unintended consequences, particularly for people without access to basic communication or identification.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cThese folks don\u2019t have addresses or phone numbers. We don\u2019t know their next of kin,\u201d said Dr. Plummer. \u201cSo if they do get a citation, how does that look? We have to really flesh out those details.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">She added that the city is trying to avoid criminalizing mental illness and homelessness.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cThe Harris County jail system is not a mental health facility. It is a jail.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s next?<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The expanded ordinance will be rolled out as a pilot program, meaning it\u2019s subject to change. Officials plan to evaluate its impact using data from the Houston Police Department and housing services.<\/p>\n<p>Copyright 2025 by KPRC Click2Houston &#8211; All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"HOUSTON \u2013 For the first time, peace officers in Houston will now be able to connect individuals experiencing&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":69509,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5130],"tags":[24966,7065,4345,38994,358,3187],"class_list":{"0":"post-69508","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-houston","8":"tag-civility-ordinance","9":"tag-housing","10":"tag-houston","11":"tag-houston-homeless","12":"tag-texas","13":"tag-tx"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114867811869579403","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69508","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69508"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69508\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69509"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69508"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69508"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69508"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}