The Galveston Police Department is launching a new unit that aims to connect homeless people with services rather than make arrests. Data shows the island's homeless population has more than doubled since the pandemic, according to the report. City council approved $12,000 in taxpayer money last week to fund the HOPE unit, a team of a few officers and a supervisor.
Police Chief Doug Balli said the department will spend the next three months identifying partners. Balli said the unit could help people with basic needs, such as identification and medications. "We probably cannot solve homelessness here on the island, but I think that by being compassionate in the way we approach it we can make life better for a lot of people," Balli said.
St. Vincent's House executive director Paula Tobon said its pantry service has grown more than 160% in five years, from about 3,400 people in 2021 to nearly 6,000 last year. Balli said the previous approach has not worked. Demeka Beeton, who came to the island a year ago to find somewhere to stay, said affordable housing has been one of her biggest hurdles and welcomed the new unit.