New Conroe campus to provide safe haven, services for homeless

A sign for Conroe House of Prayer is seen along West Davis Street, Wednesday, July 17, 2019, in Conroe. The Compassions United ministry group is in the process of developing five acres of land off Foster Drive donated to them by the city of Conroe. In addition to moving CHOP from its downtown location to the donated land, the organization hopes to develop a master planned community called “Miracle City” to support people transitioning out of homelessness and to provide long-term supportive housing options for those requiring financial, emotional, and community support for an extended period. less A sign for Conroe House of Prayer is seen along West Davis Street, Wednesday, July 17, 2019, in Conroe. The Compassions United ministry group is in the process of developing five acres of land off Foster Drive ... more Photo: Jason Fochtman, Houston Chronicle / Staff Photographer Photo: Jason Fochtman, Houston Chronicle / Staff Photographer Image 1 of / 20 Caption Close New Conroe campus to provide safe haven, services for homeless 1 / 20 Back to Gallery

Dozens of people emerged from a wooded area near FM 2854 Friday as the city of Conroe began bulldozing a homeless camp removing truckloads of personal belongings, trash and debris.

Conroe Police Officer Robert Engle said city workers found everything from clothing and tents to barbecue pits and furniture. Engle, who was on site Friday, said the city gave those living in the camp two days to remove what they wanted. However, several people taking refuge in the woods said they were unaware of the deadline and had little time to gather items and leave before the heavy machinery was brought in.

“A lot of people couldn’t get their medications, legal documents and photos,” said Jessie Hicks, who has been living on the streets for few weeks.

Katrina Lopez, who keeps several pets as companionship, said she lost a kitten in the cleanup.

“I was told they probably killed it,” she said of the large equipment used to remove the camp.

As the city works to clean up homeless camps around the city, the Conroe City Council recently acted to donate five acres of land to Compassion United — a nonprofit dedicated to helping the homeless population in Conroe — for the development of a complex to offer services to the homeless in one location.

The property is located off Foster Drive near the Conroe Fire Station and is currently undeveloped.

“We have been working with the city to try and mitigate the negative impact of homelessness in the downtown to the best of our abilities,” said Compassion United founder Luke Redus.

In fact, Compassion United, through its programs, served over 40,000 hot meals in 2018 as well as provided 250,000 pounds of groceries, provided 18,000 hours of volunteerism and help 30 people get out of homelessness.

More Information Compassion United programs •Breakfast In The Park - A weekly breakfast, sponsored by churches and businesses throughout Montgomery County and serving the poor and homeless in southeast Conroe. Currently, 80-120 individuals are served each Saturday. •Conroe House of Prayer (CHOP) - Established in 2009, the CHOP offers services six days per week to the homeless in Conroe. Breakfast is provided by local churches. Clothing and hygiene items are made available to the homeless. Additionally, worship, teaching, and spiritual support are available. No one is required to participate in religious services in order to receive aid. CHOP also serves as part of the “intake” process for our transitional living program. •Freedom House - Freedom House is a transitional living facility for men who desire to exit homelessness. Our current capacity is 14 men. This program has been in operation since 2010. •Hosanna House - Hosanna House was launched in 2014 as a home for women exiting homelessness. Our current capacity is five women. •Joy House - The Joy House was launched in 2009 as a place for homeless women in crises pregnancy. The capacity of our last facility was 16, however, we lost that facility during hurricane Harvey. We have yet to find a new location. •Fresh Start - Fresh Start is the empowering support service to our transition program. Through the Fresh Start program, residents attend classes, receive assistance with resume writing and job searches, and receive mentoring to help them overcome the obstacles created while they were homeless. •DESTINYKids - DK began in 2012 as an outreach to children and youth in Dugan. It has evolved into an after school activity and mentorship program that offers services four nights per week. •Terry’s Tables Food Pantry - The Food Pantry is located in East County and services approximately 6000 individuals per year. For more information on Compassion United, visit www.compassionunited.us.

However, the homeless population in Conroe continues to grow and has become a major concern for city leaders on how to address the issue.

For Redus, and his wife Karla, developing a campus to offer all their services, including its Conroe House of Prayer, in one location has been a vision of theirs for several years.

“A couple years ago, we felt it was time to start making a move,” Redus said adding he hired a consultant and had the organizations books audited to prepare for the project. “With the trajectory we are on with our empowerment side — getting people in transitioning housing, helping get jobs - that was being bottle necked by our intake process which is essentially CHOP.”

According to Redus, the campus, dubbed Miracle City, would include transitional housing, a welding shop, carpentry shop that will also build tiny homes, a new CHOP location, clothing and food pantry. He added he has spoke with Interfaith The Woodlands about possibly offering medical services.

Councilman Jody Czajkoski called Redus an angel.

“I have known him for five years and what I have seen is he is all about rehabilitation,” Czajkoski said. “I would love to see this Miracle City perfected.”

In fact, Czajkoski said Conroe’s Miracle City could be a model for similar campus across the nation to help address homelessness on a larger level.

Czajkoski said he believes Redus will have the support to help develop the campus locally with many faith based organization as well as community and business leaders. Redus noted he does have an aggressive timeline to get the campus up and running with a goal of three years.

“He is the real deal,” Czajkoski said. “I think he can help us with this (homelessness) problem.”

cdominguez@hcnonline.com