SPRING, Texas – A homeless encampment that had been growing for months behind a shopping center on Louetta Road was cleared Tuesday, but property managers and business owners say the move offers only temporary relief.
Peter Wright Investments, which owns several properties along Louetta, says the same group of individuals has repeatedly moved from one center to another.
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Senior property manager Monica Solomon said the encampment previously formed at a neighboring property before shifting to the wooded area behind the strip mall.
“We had them removed… all they did was they moved everything and came to the neighboring property,” Solomon said.
Solomon said that after months of complaints, Harris County crews and Precinct 4 constables finally intervened. The woman living in the encampment was asked to gather what she wanted to keep — but instead of leaving the area, she moved her belongings to another nearby property.
“Everything she wants to keep is just gonna move up to this broken barricade… and she could migrate to another center that we have or somebody else’s center,” she said.
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Local business owners say the encampment has brought safety concerns, cluttered access points, and nervous customers.
Clayton Worley, who owns Worley’s Golf Shop in the center, said the site began with just a bicycle and a couple of people seeking shelter but eventually grew into a larger setup involving animals, belongings, and makeshift structures.
“It’s made it a little bit hard to drive without running into things… and obviously the safety concern of having extra people around the shopping center,” Worley said. “I’m concerned for their safety as well as other people.”
A spokesperson for Commissioner Tom Ramsey said the county is working to balance public safety with compassion.
“There’s no easy fix to homelessness, but we try to address it with both compassion and action,” the statement said. “Our office has the machinery for encampment cleanups to keep public areas safe, and we partner with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Homeless Outreach Team and nonprofits like Hope Haven to connect individuals with support and services. Accepting help is a personal choice, but we work hard to ensure those resources are available while also maintaining public safety.”
One woman living in the encampment told Deven Clarke she expected to be picked up and taken to her sister’s house in Katy, but we saw her simply move to another property.
Precinct 4 constables said they will continue to monitor the site and offer assistance but note that individuals often refuse services — and even when trespassing leads to arrests, many return after bonding out.