Homeless Encampments in Vacant Homes Toolkit

Developed by the Homeless Issues Committee

Based on Beacon Hill Area Neighborhood Association model.

Neighborhood Tool kit: Vacant Buildings and Vagrancy

When someone who is chronically homeless occupies a vacant and neglected home, it can become a magnet for crime, particularly drug sales and theft, but also a fire hazard. Neighborhoods have witnessed fires set inside the homes and buildings, whether for cooking, heating, or drug manufacture, that have destroyed the property and endangered the property and lives of its neighbors. Some of these neglected homes are owned by investment companies, but often, these are homes in which the owners passed away and there is no clear title holder which makes it harder to secure safely and to rehabilitate or sell.   Often these homes are demolished destroying affordable housing and can have a destabilizing effect on the neighborhood.
 The Office of Historic Preservation’s Vacant Building Program (VBP) which tries to locate the owners to secure the house by boarding up possible entrances, compel the owners to keep grass mowed, etc. to bring it to minimum property maintenance codes and to encourage the owner to “reactivate” the structure which means rehabilitate it to occupy, sell, or rent it. No one can compel the owner to do anything other than to keep it clean and secure, however, if there are no reported code violations.  If there are a number of reported code violations, the city can post notices, locate the owner/s, and eventually take the owner to court if necessary.

What neighborhoods can do:

If there is vagrancy in a vacant house or building:
Note: Ask for regular updates on these properties for newsletters and neighborhood meetings. 
·      Get specific addresses.
·      Contact VBP staff to report and to see if it is on their Vacant Building list that they are working on or if it can be added.
·      Call 311 and get case number. The more calls the better: the owners could be taken to court if they do not comply, if necessary if there are code complaints on different issues.
·      Contact your code compliance officer to let her or him know about the issue to start monitoring.
·      Contact your Area DHS outreach person. Give addresses of where this issues are so they can begin outreach.
·      Contact Haven for Hope or other outreach/housing non-profits.
·      Contact your SAFFE Officer who should be able to let you know if the owner property has filed a no trespassing affidavit. SAPD can only remove a vagrant if there is a no trespassing affidavit filed.
·      Contact the area’s dangerous Premise Officer if the building looks structurally unsafe.
Any and all of them should interact with the property owner and any and all of them can get an owner to sign an Affidavit of No Trespassing, but only SAPD can enforce it.
From VBP’s webpage: “The program works to conserve our existing building stock through meeting the ordinance minimum maintenance requirements, annual inspection, registration process, and the promotion of redevelopment opportunities for registered buildings. Additionally, the provisions in Chapter 12 allow for the program staff to work with property owners to find long-term solutions to vacancy.”

Neighborhood Resource List

Neighborhoods should have the following resources on hand when an encampment is reported in an empty house:
         Vacant Building Hotline:  210-207-7244 or report online
        To set up a VBP presentation for your meeting:
        John Sanchez John.Sanchez@sanantonio.gov

 Homeless Outreach Specialists

These Outreach Specialists can be contacted when there is a homeless individual or encampments that need help in finding help, but this specialist can also provide reports to neighborhood associations. 

District 1 – Ramon Gonzales – ramon.gonzales@sanantonio.gov

District 2 – Alicia Mitchell – Alicia.mitchell@sanantonio.gov
District 3 – Dan Groven – Daniel.groven@sanantonio.gov
District 4 – Joe Guillen – jose.guillen@sanantonio.gov
District 5 – waiting to fill
District 6 – Anderson Alicea-Baez – Anderson.alicea-baez@sanantonio.gov
District 7 – Eric Morris – eric.morris@sanantonio.gov
District 8 – Trez Scipio – quatrez.scipio@sanantonio.gov
District 9 – Nikketa Burges – nikketa.burges@sanantonio.gov
District 10 – Trevor Baker – trevor.baker@sanantonio.gov
From VBP’s webpage: “The program works to conserve our existing building stock through meeting the ordinance minimum maintenance requirements, annual inspection, registration process, and the promotion of redevelopment opportunities for registered buildings. Additionally, the provisions in Chapter 12 allow for the program staff to work with property owners to find long-term solutions to vacancy.”
Note: Send an email with all of those involved on the email chain so they are all on the same page because although they all play a part, unfortunately, they don't always keep each other in the loop.Code and SAFFE are on the front lines with more immediate action while the VBP is designed to deal with the structure. it is DHD and SAPD/SAFFE's responsibility to deal with the people. 
Dangerous Premises is also more of a long term process as they build the case for the structure to go before the Building Standards Board for repairs or demolition.
Any and all of them should interact with the property owner and any and all of them can get an owner to sign an Affidavit of No Trespassing, but only SAPD can enforce it.