SAN MARCOS — The Hays County Commissioners Court listened to a presentation from the Homeless Coalition regarding the Jan. 23 Point in Time Count, as well as approved a future plan for the Hays County Pet Resource Center at its May 20 meeting.
Point in Time Count
“To give you an overview of why the Point in Time Count is done, for those of you who haven’t heard this before, it is an annual account required by the Housing and Urban Development Department in Washington [DC],” said Nancy Hines with the Homeless Coalition. “This count tells us approximately how many people were experiencing homelessness in Hays County on the night of Jan. 23 … It also shows us trends over time, which increases or decreases in homelessness.”
The data is collected from the count, which commenced Jan. 23, where those who are unhoused — whether that be living in a car, on the street, at encampments or inside shelters — and willing to speak to volunteers were surveyed throughout the day with 10 questions as to where they were planning on sleeping that night.
Transitional housing is also included, said Hines, and can include those sheltering inside motels.
The total number received from the count was 187, with 179 in San Marcos, four in Buda, two in Kyle and two Wimberley. There were none in Dripping Springs.
“[The count] also gives us insight into the effectiveness of housing programs and homeless services in Hays County. That is really the value. This is not a headcount for the sake of counting people. The purpose of this is to try to engage with people and understand something about their situation, so we can see the threads of need across our county,” said Hines.
Following Hines’ initial presentation, Homeless Coalition board member Claudette Blythe discussed demographics observed, from both sheltered and unsheltered individuals:
Age
38 below the age of five
29 between the ages of five to 17
42 between the ages of 18 to 34
57 between the ages of 35 to 54
21 above the age of 55
Gender
52 males
27 females
4 transgender
Additional populations
41 adult survivors of domestic violence
20 adults with serious mental illness
10 adults with substance use disorder
Three veterans
Lisa Young of the Homeless Coalition emphasized that it’s important to not picture homelessness in a particular light, such as the stereotypical “an unshelled man, with a cardboard sign on the highway,” as it can take many forms.
She also pushed for the county and municipalities to have a clear emergency plan for extreme weather, as it saves lives: “Even if someone does survive, we don’t want them in such a desperate situation that they were frightened and barely survived. Both at the food bank and Homeless Coalition, we get calls [saying], ‘Where do I go?’ … We have found people in some municipalities that are city leaders, city management, who don’t know the answer to that question.”
Young explained that she has met with commissioners Debbie Ingalsbe and Michelle Cohen to discuss these plans.
“I would say, looking at this data, I was shocked by seeing 179 in San Marcos versus the two in Kyle, two in Wimberley and four in Buda. As a commissioner that supports San Marcos, as well as commissioner Ingalsbe and [Judge Ruben Becerra], if there’s anything we can do to help action item wise, please loop us in. Let us know,” said Cohen.
She did suggest that other cities aren’t doing their part, which contributes to the high numbers in San Marcos, as many may pick up unhoused individuals and take them there.
“I would challenge our cities to help do your part in addressing the problem. Don’t see San Marcos as a dumping ground because that is what’s happening here. This is the only place they have resources,” emphasized Cohen.
Young explained that Jan. 23 was also a freezing night, so these numbers would have been higher because “anyone who could’ve scraped together money for the hotel did so and they would not have been counted.”
“I appreciate the information shared. It is so important and needed to help us better understand how we can partner and help. It’ll take all of us working together to address homelessness,” concluded Ingalsbe.
Pet Resource Center
“The reason I brought this to court was because your contract was over with this task and I wanted to see it closed and be done with it, so I can have my emotional closure to something I brought [forward],” said Becerra.
According to senior construction manager for the Pet Resource Center James Broaddus of Broaddus and Associates, the preliminary planning and programming effort began Dec. 17, 2024, and focused on a brick and mortar location for the Pet Resource Center. From this, two options were presented: county led or municipality led.
Option one is a “development of a county-led stand-alone central facility to serve all unincorporated areas of Hays County, with supplementary satellite locations established through partnerships with ‘potential partners’ to optimize geographic service delivery,” while option two explores a municipality-led partnership, such as with Buda, Kyle or San Marcos for “a primary Pet Resource Center with county involvement, with strategically placed satellite locations through partnerships with ‘potential partners’ to optimize geographic service delivery.”
According to the presentation, the advantages of option one include geographical coverage, potential development of satellite facilities, animal control services onsite and could provide current capacity projections, with growth. The disadvantages are requiring the county to create a site independently, as well as staffing and funding it, and serve as the primary location for community support services, such as adoption, veterinary services and more.
Option two, according to the presentation, has more positives — the same as option one — than negatives, as the only con is that it would still require the county to staff the facility or contract a second part to run the facility.
The presentation showed that satellite locations could include smaller, local sites to nonprofits throughout the county, including PAWS Shelter and Prevent A Litter (PALS), instead of a singular brick and mortar location, saving on costs.
Ingalsbe supported option two, partnering with municipalities, since the court unanimously approved a partnership with the city of Kyle and nonprofits at a previous meeting.
“We need to look at what our short-term and long-term goals are. I feel that option two addresses the short-term goals that are needed in our county. Not to say that, maybe in the future, that a satellite office may make sense in the areas where we may not have those resources, but that is the direction that I feel,” said Cohen.
Commissioner Walt Smith shared that he has spoken with staff from the city of Kyle and, whether the county partners with them or not, they are moving forward with a facility, so it may be wise to take advantage of the relationship and split the cost for the future of the county.
Smith motioned to move forward with option two. The item was approved 5-0.
Broaddus and Associates Inc. does not currently have any assignments, as the contract has been fulfilled, said Becerra, but if a new contract is needed, it would come back to the court.
