College of the Mainland barbering student Emilio Filoteo provides a beard trim for Eric Valdez at the inaugural Homeless Navigation Day at the Nessler Center in Texas City on Thursday.
STUART VILLANUEVA/The Daily News

Melinda Williams looks through clothing on offer at the inaugural Homeless Navigation Day at the Nessler Center in Texas City on Thursday.
STUART VILLANUEVA/The Daily News


Eric Valdez waits to receive assistance at the inaugural Homeless Navigation Day at the Nessler Center in Texas City on Thursday.
STUART VILLANUEVA/The Daily News

TEXAS CITY - Busloads of homeless, unsheltered and people under financial stress filled the Nessler Center on Thursday for warm food, fresh haircuts, showers, winter clothes, job and housing opportunities and physical exams during the city’s first Homeless Navigation Day.

The Mayor’s Task Force on Homelessness, created early this year, hosted Homeless Navigation Day in what the city hopes becomes an annual event.

“The Mayor’s Taskforce on Homelessness has been meeting for many months to brainstorm and address this issue, and this is the first event of action we are taking collectively,” Mayor Dedrick Johnson said.

The task force teamed up with various organizations, nonprofits, churches and medical entities to provide the unsheltered population with such basic necessities as showers and medical screenings, job opportunities, referrals to social service agencies and more.

“This is our action day, our one-stop shop,” Johnson said. “We simply have so many resources on the mainland, and we want to point these people in the right direction. Hence the word navigation, to kind of help them navigate just through day to day life.”

Sylvia Sierra, Texas City Resident, took her niece, who is diagnosed with bipolar disorder, to the event.

“She is already making contacts and seeing that there are services available for her,” Sierra said.

In her own time, Sierra, with her husband, works to help the homeless people she finds in the city. She carries extra toothbrushes, floss, socks and more in her bag for whoever she encounters who needs it.

“My mama always said, ‘You help others, viene para atrás,’” Sierra said, which translates to “it comes back.”

Sierra learned about the event through The Daily News, and a chance to connect her niece with medical resources motivated her to go, she said.

“A lot of people have mental problems, and they don’t know where to go,” Sierra said.

Sierra’s niece has been unable to have a physical exam because she has been denied and could not afford medical expenses for six years, her sister said. Doctors who volunteered their time conducted Sierra’s niece’s overdue examination at the event.

“This is such a good event, and it was about time,” Sierra said. “There are so many good resources for people who need it.”

The Mayor’s Task Force partnered with the Chosen Ones Outreach Ministries, an organization that provides services for the needy throughout South East Texas.

“We are providing housing assistance for people looking for a place to stay,” Cameron Martin, director of Outreach Services, said.

The ministry provides services for late rent payments, back utility payments, security deposits, rapid rehousing and homeless prevention, Martin said.

“The idea is that you have a job, you’re going to school and not just sitting at home,” the Rev. Edward Lawson III, founder and operations director of Chosen Ones Outreach Ministries and president of the Gulf Coast Homeless Coalition, said. “We are going to help pay your rent so you can save some money and learn how to stabilize yourself.”

The ministry works with people to find jobs and education and extends its services to anyone who otherwise would not have the means or access to such assistance, Lawson said.

While serving various counties across the Gulf Coast, Chosen Ones Ministries has an office in Texas City, 1501 6th St. N., where people can learn more about the available services.

Beth Darden, Dual Credit Program instructor and assistant professor of Cosmetology at the College of the Mainland, is the advisor of the Skin, Sheers and Beards Society Club that volunteered to provide haircuts and styling services at the event.

“Especially this time of the year, it’s very important to give back to the community and help those who are in need during these precious times,” Darden said.

The volunteers were all college students in the cosmetology department. A majority of them were barbers, and the others were cosmetologists. Darden hopes to have more volunteers in the future to provide manicures and facials.

“They are all very eager to get their hands in some haircuts,” Darden said. “It’s really important for us to make people feel beautiful, especially when they may be going through tough times. I thought it was really cool for us to be able to provide services and help them, hopefully, make a change in their lives.”

Not only is the event meeting the people’s physical needs, but also is offering resources to help them get jobs through various agencies and workforce solutions.

“We’re supporting all of the different agencies that we have around here,” Johnson said. “One of the things we want people to know is that Texas City is going to always support. We have so many entities who are already targeting these people.”

The Municipal Court was on-site at the event, helping people with information and helping them clear up trouble with the law.

“The last thing we want is for people to go to jail,” Tammy Odom, court administrator, said.

Prosecutor Robert Barfield was available by video conference to discuss cases in detail and determine steps needed to resolve them.

We are open to doing exactly what we are doing here at our office,” Odom said. “People shouldn’t be afraid of being arrested. If they come to us, it’s going to be a much more pleasant experience than if we have to go to them. So I encourage them to come in.”

The Municipal Court is at 1004 Ninth Ave. N.

Texas City does not have any homeless shelters, which shouldn’t be a testament the city is doing nothing for the unsheltered, Johnson said.

“It’s not uncommon for municipalities to not have a homeless shelter,” Johnson said. “But our goal is to not only help the homeless but prevent homelessness. Our director of Community Development and the programs we have in the city are targeting a lot of people in preventing homelessness and partnering with education entities because we know that education is a lot of things that can contribute to that, and so on and so on.”

Titilayo Smith, director of Community Development and Grants Administration, alongside Johnson, is leading the Task Force on Homelessness.

“This is just the beginning,” Smith said about the city’s efforts to help the unsheltered. “By getting people here, we can identify them; we can identify what their needs are and then we can try to make a plan. Once we know what we’re dealing with, then we can move forward and try to address some of those issues.”

The organization surveyed all attendees to identify the people and their needs.

“Once we look at that data, we will then know what our next steps will be,” Smith said. “We want to be the coordinating body. The city won’t necessarily be doing homeless services, but we’re trying to get everybody together, understand what’s available and find out what’s needed.”

“Whether you are homeless or whether you are unsheltered, if you’re in the city of Texas City, you’re still one of our residents,” Johnson said.

Myrian Orea: 409-683-5230 or myrian.orea@galvnews.com