Another city in Collin County has banned camping and sleeping in public places, despite not offering any emergency housing for people experiencing homelessness there.
The McKinney city council passed a law banning public camping in October. The Allen city council voted unanimously to pass a similar ordinance earlier this month.
Texas already has a state law that banned public camping in 2021 but Allen Police Chief Steve Dye, who proposed the ordinance, told the city council at a recent meeting the state law doesn't go far enough.
“While we have a state law that prohibits camping in public, it really doesn't address the sleeping issue,” Dye said.
A bill that would’ve allowed the Attorney General or the Texas Department of Public Safety to enforce the statewide camping ban failed to pass during the legislative session earlier this year. State Senator Pete Flores (R-Pleasanton) wrote the bill and at the Senate committee hearing for the bill, said local governments weren’t adequately enforcing the existing law.
The Allen police chief said his department has seen an increase in the city’s unsheltered population sleeping on sidewalks or breezeways, adding that the ordinance was necessary to protect local businesses.
While there are emergency shelters in Collin County for victims of domestic violence and youth experiencing homelessness, the county does not have a 24 hour emergency homeless shelter for the general population.
Several organizations that work with and advocate for unhoused Texans testified against the bill during the Senate committee hearing in March, including the Texas Homeless Network.
Eric Samuels, CEO of the Texas Homeless Network, said the proposed law would’ve made things difficult for police officers.
“Oftentimes police officers are the first people that come in contact with someone experiencing homelessness, and they can use their discretion to help folks, and oftentimes they go above and beyond to do so,” Samuels said. “This would influence them to offer citations instead of offering assistance and that is something that would really set us back in a lot of our communities.”
People who violate the Allen ordinance will get a two day warning for their first offense. After that, they face a $500 fine for each offense.
Dye said officers will also offer aid and resources to the city's unsheltered residents.
“As always, our police officers will continue to take a benevolent approach,” he said.
Creating penalty fees for public camping criminalizes homelessness, said Alfredo Reyes, an organizer with Vocal Texas, an organization that advocates for Texans experiencing homelessness.
Reyes told the Texas Senate committee in March he has a criminal record because he was living in a public encampment while experiencing homelessness. Laws like Senate Bill 241, he said, create barriers to accessing resources and aid.
“It does put people in more barriers than you could even imagine,” he said. “If I cannot afford a $1 cheeseburger from McDonald's, what makes you think I can afford a fine?”
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