CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Larry Dumas and Zabrina Gibson never expected to become homeless.
"It's hard to describe."
"It's scary."
Those are the words they use to describe living on the streets of Corpus Christi and they are far from alone. Local shelters explained that the population of homeless people in the city is growing by the year, and resources are quickly running out.
A few years ago, Zabrina Gibson moved to Corpus Christi for a fresh start. Little did she know her new beginning would rise from a struggle.
"The best place for me to start out was a homeless shelter," Gibson said. "I didn't know where the help was."
Larry Dumas shared a similar experience with Gibson. He left Longview, Texas, to visit his mother who lived on Corpus Christi's southside, but when he arrived he made a discomforting realization.
"There was no place to stay," Gibson said.
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Dumas and Gibson said they were lucky to find the Good Samaritan Rescue Mission, a shelter in Corpus Christi. That's where they met Carole Murphrey, the woman who restored dignity in both of them.
"They begin to feel like the shame lifts off of them," Murphrey said.
At the Good Samaritan, homeless people can get the help they need and reintegrate into society. Best of all, there are no judgments.
"You cannot stereotype the problem or the person," Murphrey said.
The so-called safe haven is more than a shelter for the homeless. People who stay there receive a true fresh start.
Gibson was able to work in the dog park and now she's preparing to get her GED, and will then study to become a veterinary assistant.
"Just because we're homeless doesn't mean we're helpless and hopeless," Gibson said.
As for Dumas, he said he's headed back to Longview to live with his fiance. He spent two years working in the shelter's thrift store.
"You have opportunities here and you just try and be the best you can everyday," Dumas said.
But not every homeless person has the same desires as Gibson and Dumas.
"Many of them chose that lifestyle," Nueces County Sheriff John Chris Hooper said. "They really do."
The shelters have rules, and the sheriff said for those who cannot follow them, "they end up on the streets."
Hooper has spent years in law enforcement and is more than familiar with the growing population of homeless people in Corpus Christi.
"I venture to say that the majority of the homeless people you see in the downtown area have been in this jail, maybe last week, and maybe next week," Hooper said.
In 2018, there were more than 1,300 bookings of homeless people in the Nueces County Jail. Hooper said many of those bookings come from repeat offenders.
"They get into jail usually on that criminal trespass charge and they're held for a short period of time, and then they're released and the cycle continues," Hooper said.
In exchange for their clean record, a homeless person can get a free meal, shower and even medical care. This leaves the sheriff to believe some homeless people commit crimes because they have nowhere else to stay.
"We're not a service entity," Hooper said. "We're not a facility for the homeless."
Hooper said it's expensive to run a jail and homeless offenders are costing taxpayers even more money. He said the daily average cost of an inmate can run upwards of $81.
"Some inmates cost $10 a day. There are other inmates, because of their medical condition, their psychiatric condition, that cost $300 to $400 a day."
While it's an expensive business to run, Hooper said taking care of people is a part of jail operations. He believes Corpus Christi needs to look at other cities such as San Antonio. They have a one-stop-shop for anyone who is homeless called Haven for Hope.
There, people can receive the assistance they need without a night behind bars.
"The county jail is not a Haven for Hope. The county jail is a detention facility where people need to be as they're waiting their next step in the criminal justice system," Hooper said.
So is there potential for a similar 'haven' in Corpus Christ? Patty Clark with Metro Ministries hopes so.
"There are a lot we can't reach and that's what hurts the most," Clark said.
Clark said in December of 2018, they served more than 8,000 meals from their kitchen. She said not only has the homeless population in Corpus Christi increased, the age in which people become homeless has decreased.
"Many years ago, the face of homelessness was an old man begging on the street but today the average age of a homeless person is nine years old," Clark said.
Like many homeless shelters in the city, Metro Ministries offers several services such as free health clinics, meals and transitional housing. However, Captain Patrick Gesner with the Salvation Army said they are running out of resources.
"More resources are needed by each of us in order to provide for them," Gesner said.
Gesner said Corpus Christi also lacks sufficient affordable housing. This is why they applied for numerous grants to build new shelters for men, women and their children.
"We're trying to do everything we can for the need, but the need has increased," Gesner said.
Recently, shelter directors discovered a trend that is working against people who are trying to help the homeless population.
"It's horrendous," Murphrey said.
Murphrey and other directors have learned that other cities in the U.S. have sent some of their homeless people to Corpus Christi.
"How dare these other cities just dump someone," Murphrey added.
Murphrey said it taxes the already limited resources.
"I want to take care of the ones from here," Murphrey said, adding that she has been told that other cities promise jobs and affordable housing.
So, what is the solution to homelessness? These experts said it's complicated and it will require multiple efforts.
"We do have to deal with it holistically," said Professor Sarah Scott at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
Scott led her students on a research program. The purpose? To evaluate initiatives that aim to end homelessness.
"Some of the programs like the housing program are a little more controversial," Scott said. "They take a lot of community buy in and they can't be done very quickly."
Her students started by looking at the Community First Village in Austin, Texas.
"It provides housing but is providing more than that. The reason they're called Community First is because it's really about providing community," Scott said.
The professor's research program has also opened the door to a Homeless Workers Program. Employees would be tasked with cleaning up downtown Corpus Christi.
"It could help beautify our downtown, help tourism, help us to go downtown and enjoy all the stuff that we have down there, too," Scott said.
Speaking of tourism, a recent study found that the homeless population in Corpus Christi has deterred visitors from going downtown. Paulette Kluge with the Convention and Visitors Bureau said it's starting to hurt tourism.
"The number one issue when people travel for vacation is safety, and we're not perceived as safe," Kluge said. "That is because of homelessness, panhandling."
Kluge said that is why she joined the Homeless Issue Partnership. She said tiny homes would be a good place to start in the combat against homelessness.
"It's working in other cities and I think we need to continue at least evaluating here to see if it would work for us," Kluge said.
All of these people know there is not an overnight fix but, they do believe to end homelessness, the community must get involved.
"It is a Corpus Christi problem," Gesner said. "All of us as citizens have to find a solution to deal with the issue that homeless people face."
Whether it's a donation to a cause or kind words of encouragement.
"We really do need more funding," Gesner said.
"We really need the help of the community," Gibson said. "A helping hand up, a smile from somebody."
The shelter directors said the best way to end homelessness is to get involved.
"At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what came first," Clark said. "We're just trying to unwrap it, kind of like a starfish. One at a time we're going to help people move to an independent life."
"All as citizens have to come together and provide the solutions too," Gesner said. "So we at the Salvation Army are always willing to be a part of that conversation, we want to be a part of that because there is hope and we can all be a part of that."