In an effort to help vulnerable populations in the Greater Houston area, the Texas Legislature and Harris County have been making changes to better serve the homeless as well as victims of human trafficking. For the homeless, the new approach will keep them out of jail. For human trafficking victims, it is taking extra measures to protect children. “We wanted to look at a different way to help people rather than to criminalize them,” said Lt. Robert Henry of the Harris County sheriff’s office. Henry is one of two deputies assigned to the Homeless Outreach Team, which was created by the sheriff’s office in November. “This program will get people off the street and into temporary housing,” Henry said.

Human trafficking

A new Texas law went into effect Sept. 1 to make it tougher for human traffickers to exploit children. House Bill 10 has several provisions to protect minors involved in the crime, including eliminating the statute of limitations on offenses against a child. “You literally had a 31-0 vote in the Senate because it’s just such a terrible underworld area for kids to be involved in sex trafficking and prostitution,” said state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston. Bettencourt, a co-sponsor of the bill, said another provision in the law  requires the Texas Education Agency to develop reporting policies for children who could be victims of human trafficking. “One of the patterns is that these kids are put into schools from time to time, and if that’s the case, we want pattern recognition,” Bettencourt said. Human trafficking is a criminal enterprise where people are sold for sex work or labor. Harris County Assistant District Attorney Ann Johnson said while Houston is recognized as a hub for human trafficking, there has been a shift in the last few years that has changed the way victims are treated in the criminal justice system. “Now, our focus is not only to try to identify and rescue victims, but to prosecute exploiters,” Johnson said. That was not always the case, she said. “In the old days, there was a focused prosecution, on those involved in prostitution and now there’s a renewed focus by law enforcement and everyone else to look at the surrounding circumstances of that individual,” she said. Both the Legislature and Harris County have made an effort to curb human trafficking and help offenders, she said. At the county level, one of those efforts is the formation of Survivors Acquiring Freedom and Empowerment Court, which assists first-time and some repeat prostitution offenders between the ages of 17 and 25. The program was established with a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Homelessness Outreach

The outreach team, a private-public partnership between the Harris County sheriff’s office and local nonprofits, has a goal to divert the homeless population from jail cells by connecting them with social services, Henry said. “Isn’t it time that we decriminalize mental illness and homelessness and start treating them for [who] they really are?” Henry said. In just the first two weeks of the team’s implementation, sheriff’s deputies helped transition 18 homeless people into temporary housing, Henry said. He expects this number to grow as the program becomes more ingrained in the community. The sheriff’s office will track the number of homeless people approached, the number of people who accept the proposition and which social service they were diverted to. In Fort Bend County,  Precinct 5 Constable Rob Cook said he was not aware of any dedicated initiatives similar to the Harris County outreach team in Fort Bend County. “As far as the Katy area [of Fort Bend County], we never really have any issues with homeless individuals,” Cook said. Cook said the people the constable’s office comes in contact with are near the Grand Parkway and Mason and Fry roads and Westheimer Parkway. “If there was a reason for the county to create some kind of a task force, I would surely approach the county [to get help],” Cook said.

Helping victims

The Fort Bend Women’s Center in Richmond, which serves those who are victims of domestic violence and sexual assault from areas including Katy, has seen several positively identifiable cases of human trafficking in the last few years, but those cases are hard to distinguish. The center’s program coordinator Leslie Ribeiro said. “That’s not a frequent disclosure for our clients,” she said. “Or it’s not identified as that just because of the way it happened.” For instance, Ribeiro said, the victim might think of his or her exploiter as a boyfriend, girlfriend or spouse. Katy Christian Ministries, which also services victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, has helped human trafficking victims and the homeless. While the Fort Bend Women’s Center does have a shelter, KCM does not and makes referrals to places that do, Executive Director Deysi Crespo said. “Most of our homeless are just walk-ins,” said Lily Delagarza, KCM director of social services. “The majority need food assistance, so we give them a traveler’s pack.” KCM gives financial assistance for qualifying individuals and also provides clothing, blankets and personal care items every other month, including shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, razors, and shaving cream. “That really goes a long way,” said Lynn Hooge, KCM’s food pantry director.