A pilot program in West Houston is moving homeless people into hotels temporarily while they get back on their feet. Here’s what to know.
West Houston Assistance Ministries (WHAM) and the Energy Corridor Management District have teamed up to spearhead a pilot program in West Houston (now in its second year) designed to provide homeless people with a more sustained form of assistance. Working alongside city officials and local law enforcement, program organizers help place homeless people into nearby hotel rooms as a temporary housing solution.
The individuals are put up in the hotel for a period of two to four weeks, during which time they’re provided with additional services like food assistance and employment coaching. WHAM also helps people find employment and permanent housing opportunities, and provides them with the food and basic necessities needed to get back on their feet.
Energy Corridor Management District’s vice president, Zachary Miller, told ABC 13, “(It’s a) program that would allow first responders to assess an individual. And if they meet certain criteria, we place them in a participating hotel where a WHAM case manager would meet them and help them begin the process of rebuilding their lives.”
Miller said it’s important to continue funding this program because it takes a much-needed human approach to helping homeless people in a way that actually supports them and brings about real change. He said to Houston Public Media, “The typical response to homelessness is to reach out to law enforcement and begin the process of citation, ticketing, and then eventually a visit to jail. But our board recognized the limited utility of that approach.”
He added, “In many circumstances, what people need is a safe place to stay where they can recover, and not a jail cell.” The CEO of WHAM, Sonya Scott, feels the same way. She said to ABC 13, “A hotel room may provide immediate safety, and that is important, but it cannot be the end of the conversation.”
The program has received funding from local officials
The Energy Corridor District (ECD) board funded the pilot program with $30,000 when the West Houston Assistance Ministries started it in August of 2025. That money allowed WHAM to help close to 100 people find housing and employment, and they’re hopeful that additional funds will give them the chance to assist even more people throughout 2026-2027.
City Council Member Tiffany Thomas’s office allocated $30,000 from its district budget of $1 million to go toward the program. Fellow Council Members Twila Carter, Mary Nan Huffman, and Amy Peck contributed $10,000 each. The ECD put up $60,000, as did Lesley Brionnes, the Harris County Commissioner.
According to Briones, 61% of the first batch of individuals supported by WHAM were able to find permanent housing through their time in the pilot program. It’s the first small step in the right direction toward establishing long-term assistance and change in West Houston. Coupled with East Downtown’s 222-bed residential services facility, it will hopefully help the roughly 1,200 homeless people who currently reside in the area.
Mike Nichols, Houston’s housing director, said there’s still a lot of work to be done. “We know we have 222 people in those rooms, but what happens to the other people? Getting our partners engaged about where they go and what can be done is very important — and then of course, as you heard today, resources. Resources [are] important as we try to do that with our partners, and I’m excited about the direction,” he told Houston Public Media.
