After fatal fires, Houston officials propose stronger lodging house safety rules

Briscoe's Place used to be a rooming house before it burned, killing two, in March. Photographed Monday, May 1, 2017, in Houston. Briscoe's Place used to be a rooming house before it burned, killing two, in March. Photographed Monday, May 1, 2017, in Houston. Photo: Godofredo A. Vasquez, Houston Chronicle Photo: Godofredo A. Vasquez, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 12 Caption Close After fatal fires, Houston officials propose stronger lodging house safety rules 1 / 12 Back to Gallery

After residential facility fires last year claimed the lives of three people and displaced dozens of others, Houston city officials on Tuesday unveiled several proposed changes to city ordinances aimed at improving oversight of the buildings.

A meeting to discuss the proposals at City Hall drew dozens of city residents, boarding house owners, former convicts and civil rights advocates. The meeting illustrated the divide between neighborhood residents worried about public safety and civil rights activists advocating for the poor and prisoners re-entering society.

The proposed changes would apply to boarding homes as well as correctional, alternative housing and lodging facilities.

A Houston Chronicle investigation after last year's fires found Houston provides little scrutiny, spotty inspections and inadequate enforcement of the facilities.

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The proposed changes announced Tuesday would require boarding homes and lodging facilities to be permitted annually by Houston Public Works, and for Administration and Regulatory Affairs Department to issue permits for — and oversee — correctional facilities and alternative housing facilities.

Here are the city's proposed boarding home requirements pic.twitter.com/M7k3lHFrq1 — St. John Barned-Smith ⚔️ (@stjbs) February 13, 2018

Among the most significant proposed changes: Requiring annual permits and life safety inspections for such facilities, some of which previously only had to register with the city or went entirely unregulated. It also would require a buffer zone around some facilities and that they have items on hand such as fire extinguishers, fire evacuation routes and housing basics as simple as framed beds.

Though the city had already held 10 stakeholder meetings to gather feedback about the measures, more than 100 people showed up at City Hall, with dozens addressing council members on the public safety committee.

MAYOR: City to step up efforts to oversee rooming, boarding houses

Some worried that single-family neighborhoods wouldn't be able handle the vehicles and people that the multi-resident facilities attract.

More Information Proposed city regulations A city task force is drafting proposed changes to the regulations covering lodging facilities, boarding homes and alternative housing facilities that had faced little oversight. Here are some of the proposed changes scheduled to be presented to Houston the City Council's Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee Tuesday. Lodging facilities, including unregulated boarding houses and similar facilities (Does not include apartments, short-term rentals or hotels) Annual permit with process for revocation/denial/appeal First-year building code inspection, which may require the location to obtain a Certificate of Occupancy Annual life safety inspection prior to permit renewal Framed beds Posted and practiced fire evacuation plan Accessible fire extinguishers Operable smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors Readily available first aid supplies

Others voiced fears about public safety, particularly residents of the Near Northside, where an 11-year-old boy was killed two years ago while he was walking home from school, and from southwest Houston, where a boarding-home fire last year displaced 29.

"It's important for neighborhoods and communities to know who is serving the remainder of their sentence in their community," said Andy Kahan, Houston's crime victim advocate. "They are everywhere, throughout the city, not congregated in just one area."

Residents complained of their neighborhoods being "saturated" with bunkhouses and similar multi-resident facilities.

Dale Davidson, secretary of the Sharpstown Civic Association, said her single-family neighborhood was among those that struggled with an influx of cars and people as facilities popped up.

"We struggle mightily against the flophouse or lodging facility problem in our community," said Davidson. "We're told about these places all the time ... but without any kind of regulation on the city's side, we really can't provide proof to get rid of these facilities."

Isabel Longoria of AARP, the seniors group, urged the council to strengthen rules on boarding homes to protect the city's elderly. She said the city should verify no citations have been issued against boarding home operators. She also called for ensuring that elderly residents of such homes have personal autonomy and control over their finances, and that ombudsmen can pay visits without advance notice.

"If we can catch [some of these issues], maybe we can save people some pain down the line," she said.

Some speakers stressed that those who live in boarding homes or alternative housing facilities often have no other place to go, and said the facilities provide a chance for many of the city's poorest and most vulnerable to get their lives back on track.

"Anyone on parole has served their time in (Texas Department of Corrections), and I believe have earned the right to a second chance. ... These people are trying to get their lives together in sober-living homes, battling addiction, and they're human beings with the right to better their lives — and that's what these places provide," said Edward Manderson, who described himself as a recovering addict who had spent time in jail. "It seems like ordinances like these are really designed to make it fiscally impossible for these places to operate."

City officials said they were trying to balance the rights of people to have a safe place to live with the public safety concerns of surrounding communities.

"We're not trying to prevent parolees from living in the neighborhood," said District 1 Councilman Mike Knox. "We're just wanting to know where they are, so the community is aware of what they're living around."

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Activists expressed concern that proposed buffer zones for facilities would unfairly penalize returning offenders, saying they would exacerbate housing shortages and create and perpetuate stigma. They said they also wouldn't address problems at unsafe alternative housing facilities, which activists said result from poor supervision.

"There are exceedingly few locations that fall outside the 1,000-foot radius of a school or playground, and most of those locations are not within a reasonable distance of a public transportation route," officials from the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition wrote in opposing the distance requirement. "People with criminal records face monumental barriers in accessing traditional rental housing options, and alternative housing providers are often the only options available."

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Lara Cottingham, with the ARA, said the feedback was a "fair representation" of the input that city officials had heard in meetings with residents and industry stakeholders in recent months.

"Although there were some differences of opinion on details, the overwhelming feedback from speakers and council members was supportive of the need to establish better regulations of these types of facilities," Cottingham said.

City officials will review feedback from Tuesday's meeting, review public comment, and hope to present final ordinances to city council in March for a vote.

*This story has been edited to clarify the definition of a boarding home.

St. John Barned-Smith covers public safety and major breaking news for the Houston Chronicle. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Send tips to st.john.smith@chron.com.