Conroe's Compassion United Works Toward Campus For The Homeless

CONROE, TX — Homelessness isn’t just an issue experienced in cities like Houston, it’s an issue that is becoming more common in areas north of Harris County, and moving into areas that were previously thought to be far removed from the homeless population.

The homeless population has long made themselves visible along sections of FM 1960, between State Highway 249 south of Tomball, to the south of Interstate 45, where on most days some can be seen panhandling in medians or along the feeder roads.

Many of the homeless stay hidden, often in secluded or wooded areas where tent communities spring up far from the naked eye.

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In some cases, the completion of State Highway 249 through Tomball and into Montgomery County created somewhat of an exodus of the homeless from FM 1960 into the area, while some have just been chased out of slowly moved north along the Interstate 45 corridor. However, in some cases it has happened right there in Conroe and Montgomery County.

Homelessness has been a growing issue in Conroe for many years and has increased to the point that the city council recently voted to donate five acres of land to Compassion United, an organization dedicated to helping the homeless population in Conroe, according to the Conroe Courier.

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The property for the planned complex near the Conroe Fire Department off of Foster Road.
According to their website, Compassion United has been serving the poor, homeless, youth, addicted and afflicted of Montgomery County since 2006, and they are hoping they can do more when this complex is up and running.

"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,: Compassion United founder Luke Redus told the Courier.

Last year alone Compassion United served more than 40,000 hot meals and provided 18,000 hours of volunteerism and help 30 people get out of homelessness, according to a Courier report.

Although there is not a specific timetable to create this new campus, dubbed Miracle City by Redus, will happen and will hopefully become a model for larger communities to emulate.

To learn more about Compassion United, click here.

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