Justice reform advocates object to buffer rule in housing change

Opponents of City Council ordinance say the regulations would aggravate re-entry services

With the City Council set to vote to overhaul regulations for boarding homes and other multiresident housing, criminal justice reform advocates objected to a proposed 1,000-foot buffer zone for “alternative housing facilities,” saying it would make it harder to provide re-entry services.

The ordinances come after several fires in unregulated multiresident housing over the last year. One fire, in an unregulated lodging house, killed two people, while another at a boarding home displaced more than two dozen.

A Houston Chronicle investigation found Houston provides little scrutiny, spotty inspections and inadequate enforcement of the facilities.

In response to the fires, city officials proposed an overhaul of the regulations for so-called lodging facilities, boarding homes and alternative housing/ correctional facilities.

Among the most significant proposed changes: requiring annual permits and life safety inspections for such facilities, some of which previously only had to register with the city or went entirely unregulated.

The proposal would also establish a wider buffer zone around alternative housing/correctional facilities.

At a council meeting Tuesday, city leaders sparred with criminal justice reform advocates and operators of alternative housing facilities and re-entry programs, trying to allay concerns about the impact and intent of the proposed ordinances.

Mayor Sylvester Turner repeatedly mentioned the fires as the impetus for the ordinances.

“These ordinances deal with boarding homes, halfway homes,” he said. “It’s about enhancing public safety, knowing where they exist, making sure they’re inspected so they’re living up to code.”

At-Large Councilman Mike Knox also defended the proposal.

“This ordinance does not limit in any way the number of houses available for this type of activity,” he said. “We’re just simply maintaining standards so these inmates can live in healthy environments instead of ratholes.”

Kathy Vosburg, executive director of Crosswalk Center, a reentry service provider, said a proposed 1,000-foot buffer zone would force re-entry providers outside of the city limits.

“Houston is in essence creating even more difficult barriers to re-entry such as realistic and timely access to indigent medical service, food stamps … and centers of business for gainful employment opportunities,” she said.

Jay Jenkins, with the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, said the buffer zone would make it harder to house the more than 10,000 parolees that arrive in Houston every year.

“Alternative housing providers are often the only options available,” Jenkins said. “As these options become scarcer, rates of homelessness among returning citizens will increase.”