A request to use the old Brown County Jail, now used for juvenile detention, as a potential homeless shelter was met with some opposition Monday in Brown County commissioners’ court, and commissioners requested more information before making a decision.
Board members of the Brown County Home Solutions Coalition; Angelia Bostick of Good Samaritan Ministries, Hanna Adams of Central Texas Opportunities, and CTO Executive Director Jim Williamson; asked the court to grant them a lease of the Juvenile Detention Center for $1 per year, renewable year-to-year, with no expenses to the county. Currently the facility is being used as the county’s juvenile detention center, but soon it will be empty as the juvenile detention center is moving to the former Texas Youth Commission’s Ron Jackson Unit 2 which was recently closed.
Adams explained that the coalition has recently applied for an Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) through the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs to help implement a homeless program in the area which would include the use of the detention center as a homeless or transitional shelter. Williamson said that several local service agencies are applying for the grant together led by CTO.
Adams further stated that the grant asks for some money for renovations of the detention center and that Waldrop Construction is bidding the project to help make the property more functional. Other members of the community with skills have also expressed interest in helping with the project, according to Bostick.
Commissioner Joel Kelton of precinct 2 stated he is concerned that such a shelter would have a negative impact have on nearby business.
“What about the impact that this facility may or may not have on the surrounding businesses,” asked Kelton. “The idea of having a homeless shelter near these businesses, I have heard some things to that effect. I feel like it may have an impact on businesses around it.”
Kelton asked the coalition if there was another community which had a similar shelter that could be questioned about how it affected the surrounding businesses.
Bostick explained to the court that the goal is to make the people who would stay at the shelter become more productive members of society.
“Our goal is not to keep them there, it is a temporary shelter,” said Bostick. “Our goal is to get them into housing, get them productive in society, get them a job, get them counseling, anger management, whatever they need. I think of this as a positive.”
Organizers also stated that Brownwood ISD has identified 34 students who are currently considered homeless, that there are other schools with homeless children, which illustrates the need for a shelter and program.
“I certainly understand because we have not done this before, but I think, not to be offensive, but that I think that we are being blind if we don’t think they are there already. BISD has 34 students identified as homeless,” said Bostick. “They are in school, their families are having jobs, but they don’t have a place to live, they are living out of their car.”
Adams added, “I have a lady who is living under a camper on a pickup and trying to maintain. We are asking for a resource so that we can help those people who are already here to better their lives.”
It was explained by Adams that these people would have a case worker and that hopefully a family’s stay at the shelter would be only 30-60 days. There would be rules and accountability for residents at the shelter, according to Adams and Bostick.
“If they don’t follow these rules and work to be productive, then they would have to leave the shelter. This may be the chance they have in Brown County to not be homeless,” said Adams who also stated that she knows of a family that lives in a warehouse which does not have bathroom facilities.
“Our guidelines are to help people who are already residents of Brown County. We have things in place to make sure we only serve our Brown County residents,” said Bostick. “We are working on the basis of where were you when you became homeless. Our case managers will help determine this.”
Bostick encouraged questions because she would rather answer them and have people on board with the project than not knowing the facts and doubting the program.
If the program doesn’t work, West explained that it is able to be cancelled.
“In response to Joel, it makes more sense to give it a shot and if it doesn’t work then to say ‘it did not work, this is not what we anticipated’ and to tell them to find another place. It will be your (the coalition’s) responsibility to find another place’ rather than say we have the crystal ball and we see the black cloud,” said West. “We don’t have that crystal ball.”
Bostick also explained that there are 5 agencies on the coalition that already see those who are homeless or at risk to be homeless that provide services and whose services do not cost the county any extra money.
A community member, Bob Steger, stated his concerns that the building itself was not in good enough condition to house a shelter because these structural problems were the reason a new jail had been built in Brown County, and the question was raised if it would be better to demolish the building and sell the real estate. Williamson assured Steger and the courts that the building was not in perfect condition but that “it was certainly better than living under a bridge or in a camper shell,” and that some remodeling would be done to accommodate the facility for the use.
“The health, safety and welfare of the community does not just include those who are fortunate enough to have their own home. That is the reason that we pay for indigent healthcare, that is the reason we used to have a welfare stipend that paid the utility bills for people who couldn’t afford it (that ended, he explained with the help of Good Samaritan Ministries’ founding), and because it is not a choice of the county, it is a responsibility of the county to help those who need help,” Judge West stated. “And I take this very seriously. I know that we try to be as frugal as we possibly can, but this is one instance where the county can possibly step up and use part of its assets which really otherwise, until we have someone who is willing to pay us $5000/acre for that 10 acres, it is pretty useless and that is a pretty cheap investment.”
Commissioner Bob Clark of precinct 1 asked Bostick and Adams for a description of the ideal location for such a shelter so that he could help them look for any other possible locations. Bostick stated that the most ideal location would be something like the old historical mansions such as the three story home on Main Street which has plenty of rooms but restricted entrances/exits.
Bostick, Adams, and Williamson agreed with commissioners that it would be a good idea to invite leaders from the cities of Brownwood and Early, Chamber of Commerce, and law enforcement officials to become part of the discussion at the coalition’s next meeting. They also agreed to discuss the lease at a future meeting of the commissioners’ court when the rules for the shelter as well as details of the lease were more established.
Several local organizations who are involved with the coalition include Central Texas Opportunities (CTO), Center for Life Resources, The Ark, Family Services Center, Salvation Army, and Good Samaritan Ministries.
Pictured above are Angelia Bostick and Hanna Adams addressing the court.
Other agenda items addressed by the court included:
*Commissioners considered a burn ban; however took no action as all commissioners continued to agree that their precincts were in good shape.
*Commissioner Kelton received approval to move the start date of employee Ron McWilliams from April 18th to today, April 16th.
*Brown County Sheriff’s Captain Tony Aaron received approval for installation of doors for the patrol room at the Sheriff’s Office. Two bids were considered and the lower bid from Early Glass was approved at $5750, which would be paid out of the fund of seized money (which is seized during drug arrests) and be paid with no cost to the county.
*A tax resale deed to R. Darrell Stephens of Bangs was approved after he bid $4227 on the property legally described as Lots 3 and 4, Block 53, Brownwood Heights Addition, in Brown County. According to the court, the property had an appraised value of $4800.
