A City with Compassion, Tolerance, Love & Hope

 A City’s Compassion: Why Houston Needs a Homeless Care Tax

One morning, I rushed out to a small bagel shop near my home. From a distance, I noticed something on the other side of the road just a silhouette at first. But as I drew closer, I realized it wasn’t an object at all. It was a woman.

She stood alone beside a shopping cart overflowing with her belongings, clutching her hand in pain, tears falling uncontrollably. In that moment, something inside me broke. I had only stepped out to pick up breakfast for my daughter, yet seeing her standing there hurt, frightened, and alone shook me deeply. I couldn’t just drive past her as if she didn’t exist.

I called 911 and explained what I had seen. The dispatcher assured me that help was on the way. On my return, I brought a bagel, a cup of coffee, and a bottle of water. But she was gone. I placed the small meal beside her cart and silently prayed that she would return and find even a little comfort in it.

For years, this has been my reality. Red lights, intersections, busy streets everywhere, I see people holding signs saying, “Hungry, please help.” And like many of us, I give what I can: a few dollars, a bottle of water, a moment of kindness. But each time I drive away, I feel an ache inside me. I know it isn’t enough. I wish I could look each person in the eyes and say:

Your life matters. You are seen. You are loved. You belong with us.

As I drove home that morning, a flood of thoughts poured into my mind. There has to be a better way to take care of people like her.

I remembered a conversation with a friend who works for the city. He explained how Houston’s public transportation is funded: for every dollar it costs to run buses and trains, riders only pay about thirty cents. The rest comes from taxpayers people like me and millions of others, including those who may never ride a bus even once.

That thought stayed with me. And it sparked a question in my heart that I could not shake:

What if we created a similar system dedicated to ending homelessness?

What if we introduced a small, city-wide tax just like the public transportation tax used solely for homeless support and recovery? A tax so small most households wouldn’t even feel it, yet powerful enough to change thousands of lives.

With stable, guaranteed funding, our city could finally provide real solutions:

* Safe and reliable shelters
* Mental health support
* Addiction recovery and long-term treatment
* Job training and skill-building
* Transitional housing
* Guidance and reintegration programs
* Hope

Everyone has a story. No child grows up dreaming of standing on a street corner holding a cardboard sign. Their parents once hoped for them the same way I hope for my daughters: to live with dignity, to realize their potential, to contribute meaningfully to the world.

I am not here to debate how or why someone becomes homeless. Life can be unpredictable. What matters is how we choose to respond. What matters is extending a hand that helps someone stand again. What matters is offering the chance to rebuild with dignity, stability, and hope.

Just as Houston quietly and consistently collects a tax to support public transportation, we can establish a Homeless Care Tax a shared contribution with immeasurable impact.

This will not simply be a policy.
It will be a reflection of our humanity.
A message to the world that in Houston, compassion is part of our infrastructure.

A Homeless Care Tax is exactly that steep path the path of courage, compassion, and generosity. The path that transforms cities and uplifts communities. The path that our children will one day thank us for choosing.

Because when we kindle hope in someone’s heart, we kindle hope in our own.
When we restore someone’s dignity, we restore the soul of our society.
And when we lift others, we rise with them.

And I believe that no matter what faith one follows, every tradition echoes the same call to compassion. As Mawlana Rumi beautifully said:

Every religion has love, but love has no religion.

Maybe it’s time Houston led with love boldly, visibly, and together.

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