KILLEEN, Texas (FOX 44) – The City of Killeen’s Homeless and Mental Health Strategic Plan is moving forward with construction of a transitional center to assist those experiencing homelessness.

The City says that the Homeless and Mental Health Strategic Plan was first presented to Council in September 2022 by consultant Dr. Robert Marbut, Jr., who spent months gathering statistics and conducting focus groups to study those experiencing homelessness in Bell County. The Plan includes earmarked funds for the construction of the multiplex with transitional housing and hiring a Licensed Master Social Worker.

Agencies from Bell County have participated in the plan since the beginning, including faith-based groups, service industries, first responders and school districts. The City says it will continue to work with them as things move forward. The project started with the City of Killeen partnering with the City of Temple to hire a consultant in order to help address homelessness.

The City says Dr. Marbut’s studies addressed the five strategic keys to successfully managing and reducing homelessness (understanding the exact problems, addressing the root causes/triggers, making big changes, improving service delivery, and ‘engaging’ vs. ‘enabling’) and key data observations (including duration, gender trends, pre and post-employment numbers, homeless veteran rates and home-grown metrics).

The consultant is focused on five cohorts of homeless groups in Bell County, including those in encampments, males, women, families and individuals at risk of homelessness.

The City has had information and videos on its website since Council adopted the plan. To see them, you can visit www.KilleenTexas.gov/EndHomelessness.