Authorities Arrest Suspects at Katy Homeless Squalor After Citizen Complaints

KATY MAGAZINE NEWS

September 21, 2022

By Natalie Cook Clark

Deputies with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office arrested two suspects found among a group of homeless in Katy. Officers responded to citizen complaints of unsanitary conditions along the Katy Freeway.

Photo courtesy: HCSO

Complaints Issued on Unsanitary Conditions along Katy Freeway

Harris County Sheriff’s Office officers with the Neighborhood Policing Division responded to citizen complaints of unsanitary conditions along the Katy Freeway this week. Their response resulted in the arrest of two suspects that were among a group of homeless individuals between Westgreen and Mason Road in Katy.

Two Suspects Taken into Custody

The suspects were taken into custody and charged for Habitual Theft and Felony Possession of Controlled Substance. Warrants were out for both suspects at the time of their arrest.

The Katy area continues to see a steady climb in the homeless population.

Hope Impacts Has Helped Get 200 People off Katy Streets

Hope impacts is a Katy based non-profit focused on giving hope and dignity to locals facing homelessness. Since Tina Hatcher founded it in 2014, the organization has helped see over 200 individuals get off the streets and into better situations.

Don't Judge a Group Based on Actions of a Few

“I believe that any person breaking the law should be held accountable whether homeless or housed,” says Tina Hatcher, founder and executive director of Hope Impacts. “Judging every person in a specific situation based on the actions of a few people continues to promote a stigma associated with homelessness that is false.”

Hatcher’s dad was a Harris County Sheriff’s deputy and she understands and respects what their office does and holds a high regard for obeying the law.

“The safety of our community is a high priority,” stresses Hatcher. “We work hard to get people off the streets. Not to keep them on it.” Hatcher says that those that lived in the squalor like the one cleaned out are not the type of people that seek help.

Hatcher says that everywhere, not just Katy, is judgmental of the stigma that comes with mental health, addiction, and homelessness.

“The majority of those experiencing homelessness do not live like those this cleanout represents,” says Hatcher. “Please realize the actions of a few do not represent the actions of all.”

Hope Impacts helps the whole community, not just the homeless. They opened their doors to help flood victims during Harvey despite having no shelters in the area. Various situations from natural disasters to economic strain can place families in difficult positions.

“Each situation is different and each story unique,” says Hatcher. “The majority of those experiencing homelessness do not live like those this cleanout represents.”

Hope impacts currently serves around 135 people in area. That is just who they serve, not an account for the area's homeless population. According to Hope Impacts, over 1,000 children are considered homeless in the Harris County and Fort Bend County areas that they serve.

Learn more about Hope Impacts on their website.

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