SAN ANTONIO — Pamela Ann Almazan recalls running an errand when she spotted smoke rising from I-35 near Brooklyn Avenue just before 11 p.m. Sunday. Two days later, Almazan hopes to bring awareness about the ongoing issue of homelessness in San Antonio.
"It's just overwhelming," Almazan said.
Crews with the Texas Department of Transportation were out tending to charred infrastructure Tuesday afternoon following the fire that stalled traffic for hours.
Firefighters tackled a fire underneath I-35 west of downtown for more than five hours, which shutdown several lanes through the early morning on Monday.
Authorities have yet to definitively determine what was on fire but the current assumption leads to trash buildup. A police officer noted the area is a common area for homeless individuals to sleep so it's possible some of their personal items caught fire, although the exact cause has not been revealed.
Almazan, who's lived in a nearby neighborhood for decades, said she's seen how the water drainage area underneath the highway serves as refuge for the houseless population. She stressed the living conditions are hazardous, which is why she's hoping the city and local non-profits continue to offer relief and shelter. However, she's also concerned about safety of homeowners, including herself because of past unruly interactions with the homeless community.
“Some of them are under the influence and are not coherent and actually need mental health care and they should seek that but you can’t help someone that doesn’t want to help themselves," Almazan said.
The lifelong San Antonian has raised issue about homelessness near I-35 and the Vista Verde neighborhood for years by reaching out to law enforcement, state and local leaders.
“I would like to see proper care for them that is beneficial to them as well as our society and our communities and hopefully this can be resolved, especially considering the conditions they’re living in," Almazan said.
KENS 5 received a statement from city officials in response to Almazan's specific concerns about the homeless. It reads:
"The City of San Antonio’s Department of Human Services (DHS) works with nonprofit partners to provide outreach to people experiencing unsheltered homelessness, connecting them to appropriate shelter, services, and housing options in the community. When homeless encampments pose a health and safety risk to the community, people in the encampments are provided outreach and notification of upcoming site abatement, which clears accumulated items to restore the sites to safety. The City’s long-term investments in affordable and permanent supportive housing, homeless prevention, emergency shelters, and mental health and substance use programs all aim to reduce unsheltered homelessness in San Antonio."
The city has been working with SAMMinistries, Haven for Hope and Christian Assistance Ministry to address homelessness.
Among the initiatives is to increase the affordable housing supply by using a combination of local and federal dollars. One of the prominent funding sources is coming from the $150 million housing bond approved in May 2022.