Mayor Parker Reflects on Homelessness in Houston During State of the City Address
Communications Admin • April 24, 2014
The Honorable Mayor Annise Parker gave her State of the City address on Thursday, April 3, at the Greater Houston Partnership’s annual event. Mayor Parker dedicated the majority of her address to “finishing what we’ve started,” and focused on three major areas: solidifying Houston’s reputation as a green city, civil rights for Houstonians, and ending veteran and chronic homelessness.
Mayor Parker entered the Grand Ballroom at the Hilton Americas to the well-known song “Taking Care of Business,” and began by discussing Houston’s successes over the past few years, citing the lowest per capita crime rate in recent history, the Rebuild Houston program (which has so far completed 450 miles of road and drain improvements), the now nearly-completed backlog of sexual assault kits, and the construction of a joint processing center for the City and Harris County jails. Parker stated that Houston is on a trajectory like no other city, with more than 364,000 jobs created in the last year, not to mention that Houston will host the Super Bowl in 2017.
Parker cited bike safety issues and expansion of Houston’s privately-funded B-Cycle bike share, and publicized the newly-created Sunday Streets HTX
program, where a designated street is shut down for four hours on the first Sunday of each month to encourage pedestrians and cyclists to explore all Houston has to offer. Parker also stated that she will continue to reduce emissions and work to solidify Houston’s reputation as a global arts destination. Parker also referenced Houston’s diversity and her plan to present a Civil Rights ordinance to City Council in the month of April.
Mayor Parker’s reflections on the state of homelessness in Houston may have had the most powerful impact on the audience. “Homelessness affects not just the individual, but the health of our community,” stated Parker, who added that in a “vibrant and prosperous city” such as Houston, we should readily help those who need a path to end their homelessness.
Since the introduction of the goal to end chronic homelessness by 2015, 1,420 chronic and vulnerable individuals have been placed into Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH). Parker highlighted two individuals in particular who have been permanently housed: Alma and George. Alma, who has a college education, became homeless when she lost her job and had no one to call for help. When she heard the word that they had found her an apartment – a home – she fell to her knees and cried. George had been incarcerated for 32 years, and entered homelessness upon his release. George became housed, is a handyman at SEARCH Homeless Services, and now volunteers at the prison that was once his home.
Parker reflected on the entities that have come together in Houston to offer their skills and talents to end chronic homelessness. The Mayor’s Leadership Team, comprised of local and national players, works to oversee the system change that is happening in Houston. Parker also thanked Wells Fargo and Chevron, both of which have made significant contributions to help drive the system work. In addition to corporate and federal support, Mayor Parker herself has supplied incredible support to the Houston/Harris County Continuum of Care (CoC), as homeless service providers are coming together and collaborating in incredibly meaningful ways.
She ended with a challenge to others in the ballroom to step up and help end homelessness for some of our most vulnerable neighbors. As Parker ended her address, she described Houston as a city that “works for today, plans for tomorrow, and invests for the future,”
When someone experiences homelessness, the right solution is not always a long-term housing program. Sometimes a person needs help replacing an ID, reconnecting with family, finding an affordable shared home or overcoming another immediate barrier. That idea guided CFTH Presents: Building Better Pathways — Creating Faster Routes to Stability . The Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County (CFTH) hosted the discussion with leaders who oversee and carry out Rapid Resolutions across The Way Home, the Houston region’s homeless response system.
When most people think about homelessness, they picture someone sleeping outside or staying in a shelter. But homelessness often begins much earlier. A new survey from Rice University's Kinder Institute estimates that more than 140,000 adults across Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties experienced temporary homelessness during the past year. Many of these individuals never slept outside. They stayed with friends or family because they had nowhere else to go, paid for motel rooms when they could, slept in their vehicles or found other temporary ways to get by. For those of us working in Houston's homeless response system, the estimate did not come as a surprise. What stands out is the scale. Our 2026 State of Homelessness report found that nearly 36,000 people interacted with The Way Home, Houston's regional homeless response system, during 2025. The Kinder estimate shows a much larger group of households struggling before they ever reach organizations like ours. Those numbers do not compete with one another. They tell the story of different points along the same continuum. By the time someone decides whether to enter a shelter or sleep outside, opportunities to prevent homelessness have often passed. The homeless response system helps people regain stability after they are in a shelter or on the street. Prevention happens months earlier, while people are still trying to hold on to their housing. Most people do not ask for help at the first sign of trouble. They work extra hours. They borrow money from family. They juggle bills. They hope next month's paycheck will solve this month's problem. Like most of us would, they try to solve the problem themselves. By the time they reach out, they often need far more help than they would have needed just a few months earlier. That is why Houston's prevention network is so important. Organizations like United Way of Greater Houston connect residents with rental assistance, utility assistance, benefits navigation and other resources that help stabilize households before they lose their housing. If you are struggling to keep up with rent, utilities or other essential expenses, do not wait until you have exhausted every option. Reaching out early gives providers more opportunities to help and gives families more options to stay housed. The Kinder research also reinforces another reality facing our region: We need more affordable housing. More than 140,000 adults experienced temporary homelessness in a single year because too many households live one unexpected expense away from losing their housing. That number points to a much larger population searching for homes they can afford long before they need homeless services. Houston's homeless response system continues to produce strong outcomes. More than 2,100 households moved into permanent housing during 2025, and 85% of those who exited homelessness two years ago remain housed today. At the same time, more than 7,100 people slept in shelters or on the street for the first time in 2025. Those numbers show that while our homeless response system continues to help thousands of people regain stability, new households continue to enter homelessness every day. The Kinder research gives Houston something we have not had before: a clearer picture of the households struggling before homelessness becomes visible. The Way Home will always play a critical role in helping people regain stability, but we also need to help more people before they ever need those services. That means strengthening prevention programs, expanding affordable housing and making it easier for people to ask for help early. Houston has repeatedly shown that when our community understands a challenge, it comes together to solve it. This research gives us a better understanding of where the next challenge begins.
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