The Midweek #73: San Antonio Leads on the Treatment of Homelessness, but Leading is Not Good Enough

No major U.S. city does more to address homelessness than San Antonio, yet ask any member of City Council and they will tell you their constituents list “the homeless problem” as a leading concern, right up there with crime and potholes.

Is perception at odds with reality? Actually, no. Homelessness is a condition of modern life in urban America. Conditions require treatment, even if cities are never going to eliminate homelessness. Homelessness can best be treated with a combination of compassion, smartly deployed resources, close coordination between city and law enforcement and nonprofit organizations, including churches, and an unequivocal understanding that the rest of us have the right to safe streets and public spaces.

It’s a complex subject, and one people tend to see through the lens of their own personal encounters with the homeless living on the streets, under overpasses in illegal encampments, and panhandling at heavily-trafficked intersections. When the average citizen thinks or talks about the homeless, or the unhoused, to use the more current term, they are not thinking of the mother and children driven from their home by a violent husband and father. Or the head of a single-parent household living paycheck to paycheck who loses her job and ability to pay rent, and finds herself in sketchy motels or sleeping in the family vehicle.

There are many such people in San Antonio who are connected to a broad array of organizations and services and helped on their way to recovery and a place to call home.

Most people are focused on the hardcore 1,000 or so people in San Antonio, judging by point in time counts, living permanently in the streets who suffer from mental illness and/or addiction issues. These are the people pushing around grocery carts with all they own, occupying downtown sidewalk benches, and gathered under expressways in tent encampments.

Many do not want help. Many are off the medications that keep them stable, and can no longer even produce a valid ID. Most in this population are in no condition to make rational decisions. They rely on walk-in centers for meals, showers, clothing and compassion. Even for those convinced by social workers working the streets and encampments to accept help, options are limited if they cannot or will not embrace sobriety.

My own view is that this hard-to-reach, hard-to-treat cohort does not have a right to live on the streets or in tent encampments where drug use, property crimes, and violent assaults are everyday occurrences. That doesn’t mean I want to see them arrested and jailed. I want to see them helped. A disruptive sweep of encampments is necessary, but it’s only a temporary solution.

Every society in history has included people who are unable or unwilling to care for themselves. These are people who require lifelong support. To adequately care for this very, very small number of people in a fast-growing city of 1.5 million people, we need a place other than the county jail to house individuals who might be guilty of loitering, panhandling, public intoxication, or passed out on a sidewalk from a drug overdose. Mental health beds and supportive housing are both key, and no city, including San Antonio, has the necessary supply to meet demand. Addressing those most in need is expensive because of the many wrap-around services and staff expertise required to operate such housing with success.

People living on the street often trigger our fears, and some are a danger to themselves and others, but in general, most individuals on the street are in survival mode and have no interest in confrontation. It can be challenging at times to treat them humanely, but that is exactly what they deserve: humane treatment, even if they are unable to care for themselves. Small government advocates who oppose such public investments, or suggest a more forceful law enforcement approach, should realize we are spending far more money jailing individuals and processing them through the legal system, and then doing it all over again. And again and again.

The police deploy mental health teams trained to handle homeless people whose behavior threatens public safety or infringes on the rights of others. Too often, however, there is insufficient short-term supportive housing that can accept individuals who require trained support staff and facilities.

Over the last 20 years, I’ve learned a lot about homelessness in San Antonio and, comparatively, the situation in other American cities I have visited as a journalist. I’ve had several experts on the bigcitysmalltown podcast to share their experience and insights. Looking back, I was surprised to find at least six episodes devoted to the subject of affordable housing and/or the homeless in San Antonio. See below for links.

Earlier this month, we welcomed Rhonda Mundhenk, the relatively new CEO of the Haven for Hope, into the studio. Ms. Mundhenk is impressive, so ​​listen in​​ or ​​watch the video​​ on YouTube. Our conversation explores what’s working, where resource gaps remain, and the impact of housing costs and healthcare policy on the most vulnerable. We also talk about the growing need for affordable housing, permanent supportive care, and better healthcare reimbursement.

It’s been more than 20 years now since the city undertook a new approach to homelessness, a decision that has since attracted national and even international attention. Credit to the individuals whose actions remind us that one person can change a city.

My colleague and now retired KSAT-TV anchorman Steve Spriester reported and produced a documentary on homelessness in 2005 that was seen by many, including at the time Valero Chairman and CEO William “Bill” Greehey, who decided he was going to do something about the homeless situation in San Antonio.

Greehey reached out to Mayor Phil Hardberger, who made the issue a central theme in his 2006 State of the City address. A commission was formed, and Greehey, Hardberger, and others set out to visit a number of other U.S. cities in search of best practices. What they learned was that something new not found anywhere else needed to be designed and launched in San Antonio. Thus was born Haven for Hope, the comprehensive shelter and treatment center that opened its doors on the near Westside in 2010. Has it been a perfect solution to addressing homelessness? There is no such thing as perfect, and the presence of its campus in what should be the downtown gateway to the historic Westside has been problematic. It has been a major game changer, bringing together dozens of nonprofit organizations that offer their services in a single location, an approach that has drawn visiting delegations from other cities far and wide.

We now see organizations like the Haven for Hope, SAMM Ministries, Close to Home, Corazón Ministries, Opportunity Home, the San Antonio Housing Trust, and other nonprofits working in close alignment, sharing resources (and donors), and taking a more comprehensive approach to care and treatment.

If you have not yet encountered ​​The Civic​​, a new media voice in the city, I suggest you take the time to read Philip Reichert’s deeply-reported essay on the subject, posted earlier this month.

Other related bigcitysmalltown episodes from the archive:

March 27, 2026: Close to Home CEO ​​Katie Wilson​​ talks about the city’s ecosystem of organizations, treatment centers, supportive housing, and the city’s housing bond.

Nov. 7, 2025: Opportunity Home is Rebuilding Public Homes and Public Trust for its Centennial Vision with CEO and President ​​Michael Reyes​​.

March 28, 2025: San Antonio’s Model for Homelessness: Why Other Cities Look to Haven for Hope, a conversation with former CEO ​​Kim Jefferies​​.

June 14, 2024: Corazón Ministries: Downtown Nonprofit Making a Big Difference in the Lives of the Hardcore Homeless with CEO ​​Erika Borrego​​ and Brittney Ackerson, the organization’s Day Center Director and recovering addict who experienced homelessness in her own life.

Dec. 11, 2023: Centro San Antonio Envisions Downtown Revival with CEO ​​Trish DeBerry​​.

The nonprofit organizations and leaders featured in bigcitysmalltown are doing really important, really hard work, and would benefit from a donation if you are so moved. Collectively, they are making a big difference. I cannot imagine the city without them here. Neither should you.