Houston: We have a solution

HOUSTON — The bright Texas sun bears down on the cracked cement landscape behind a gas station on the city’s outskirts. Here, an elaborate makeshift structure shields its resident, a lanky man called Slim, from the elements — it can get cold at night, he says.

Slim is an open book. Sitting in the shade at the front of his shelter, he tells a reporter how his life went downhill just over a decade ago after the death of his wife. He met someone new, started using heroin with her, and ended up on the street. He desperately wants a home.

His visitors this February day — members of the Homeless Outreach Team — hope to get him just that. Within an hour, intake forms are signed and Slim is one step closer to receiving a permanent residence.

This is the Houston model in action.

To read more of this story first reported by the Winnipeg Free Press, click here.

This content is made available to Canada's National Observer readers as part of an agreement with the Winnipeg Free Press that sees our two trusted news brands collaborate to better cover Canada. Questions about Winnipeg Free Press content can be directed to [email protected].