Hurricane Harvey: During the Storm
Communications Admin • October 25, 2017
August 28th, 2017 brought the first day of rainfall from Hurricane Harvey, a storm that would come to be known as one of the costliest hurricanes on record, causing catastrophic flooding and over $120 billion in damage in southeast Texas.
On the days leading up to the storm, The Way Home partners
played a vital role in trying to keep those experiencing homelessness in the Houston region safe and dry. Street outreach teams from different homeless service providers worked together to move as many unsheltered individuals into shelters as they could. Local homeless emergency shelters would also operate at more than 150 percent capacity during this time to make sure no one was turned away and would continue to do so for months after the storm.
Salvation Army of Greater Houston
was one organization that had shelters who would not refuse anyone in the wake of the storm. According to Alvin Migues, Director of Emergency Disaster Services of Salvation Army Texas, “We are in a continual process of preparation and work closely with the City of Houston, Harris County and Texas Office of Emergency Management year-round and leading up to a known event such as Hurricane Harvey. Once we knew that Hurricane Harvey was headed our direction, we immediately moved assets down range to be in place to respond as quickly as possible.”
During and immediately after the storm, the Coalition for the Homeless launched a blog that helped broadcast important information about emergency and disaster shelters, partner agency information, and other important updates on the disaster and available resources. Also, because of The Way Home’s expertise in housing, the Coalition as lead agency was called to the disaster shelter at the George R. Brown Convention center where staff members began to figure out how to gather information on those living in disaster shelters as well as how to help them exit the disaster shelters.
Simtech Solutions, Inc.
reached out to the Coalition, offering to donate their services in the aftermath of Harvey. Given their area of expertise, the company developed an app that The Way Home partner agency staff members were able to use to do basic assessments on those living in disaster shelters and figure out important characteristics like household size and whether they were immediately eligible for FEMA assistance.
From assessments conducted at the shelters, staff were able to figure out that a lot of the people remaining in the disaster shelters for weeks – and even months – after the storm had likely been living with friends or family prior the storm. This meant that their names were not on leases or mortgages, making them ineligible to receive FEMA benefits. Without those benefits they lacked the ability to leave disaster shelters on their own. As a result, two housing assistance programs were created.
New Hope Housing, Inc.
responded to the disaster by very quickly establishing Residences on Emancipation, a dormitory-style temporary housing program for individuals that was located at the old Star of Hope Women and Family shelter. They were able to use their 24-year history of managing housing for vulnerable populations and adapt that model for short-term housing assistance. Guests would come from disaster shelters to Residents on Emancipation where there were over 290 beds available within 74 different units, with shared common spaces including of a full-service kitchen, clinic, and laundry facilities. After arrival, guests were assessed and connected with supportive social services with goal of eventually being able to transition into permanent housing.
At the same time, the Coalition for the Homeless collaborated with local governments, federal agencies, and the American Red Cross to create an alternate assistance program called Housing For Harvey, a program for families and individuals for whom Residences on Emancipation wasn’t a good fit.
Houston, Texas (February 24, 2026) – This week, the nonprofit Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County (CFTH) is leading the annual Point-in-Time Homeless Count & Survey (“PIT Count”) to determine the number of people experiencing homelessness across Houston and throughout Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery counties. “We may see a slight uptick in the number this year, but we have a plan,” said Kelly Young, President & CEO of CFTH. “With the support of the City of Houston, Harris County, and private funders, we have been piloting new interventions to shorten the length of time people in our region experience homelessness. With adequate funding, we look forward to expanding those interventions to help people regain lives of self-determination.” CFTH coordinates the Houston region’s public-private homeless response system, The Way Home . Through this collaboration, The Way Home partners have successfully housed over 36,000 people since 2012. CFTH will release the results of Houston’s 2026 PIT Count in the summer, following independent verification by an epidemiologist. These findings will provide insight into how factors such as increases in the cost of living and the end of federal pandemic relief funding have impacted homelessness in our region. More information about the 2026 Point-in-Time Homeless Count & Survey The PIT Count offers a snapshot of how many people are experiencing homelessness in our region on a single night. This year, the “night of record” is Monday, Feb. 23. CFTH determines the number of people staying in shelters on that night by pulling records electronically from the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) . The unsheltered count will be conducted on the following days, from Tuesday, Feb. 24 to Thursday, Feb. 26. More than 400 volunteers and staff of local nonprofit service provider partners will canvass the three-county region to survey people living unsheltered, using an app on their mobile devices. Results from the 2026 PIT Count will help gauge the progress of The Way Home’s ongoing collaborative efforts. It will also help CFTH and partner homeless outreach teams understand geographic shifts and target their outreach throughout the year. The PIT Count illuminates specific programmatic gaps and provides additional information needed to allocate resources most efficiently. The PIT Count is a requirement of the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) for the annual Continuum of Care (CoC) funding process. HUD furnishes the majority of funding for programs that provide housing and supportive services to people experiencing homelessness in the region. In 2024, HUD granted more than $71 million to the Houston area.
As lead agency to The Way Home Continuum of Care (CoC), CFTH is working with local governmental entities to advocate on behalf of people experiencing homelessness to ensure their needs are being considered as winter weather affects our region. We will make frequent updates as we receive information. Please check back often for the latest information. Last updated 02/01/2026 at 12:00 p.m.
While our system has helped thousands of people move from homelessness to housing, this year’s results highlight the need to broaden our approach.
