TYLER, Texas — Over the last few weeks, police tape has been covering up the area under Gentry Bridge, where large portions of Tyler’s homeless population typically gather.
"You end up with this furniture, there’s been a porta potty, there’s been a dumpster, there’s been electricity, there’s been a meter tap - a water meter tap. So you have all the conveniences of home, but this was never meant to be a permanent home," said Tyler Mayor Don Warren.
The postings are a part of the city’s efforts to encourage those experiencing homelessness to seek long-term changes in their lives as opposed to relying on the generosity of the community to get by.
However, this change disrupted the routine for Hope on the Streets, a ministry that has gathered under the bridge every Monday for over 10 years.
"We’ve been ministering down here for 12 years to the homeless of Tyler, and reaching out to the neighborhood, the lost, the least, the lonely. We have a children’s ministry that a lot of the neighborhood kids come to. But we come down here and try to offer them hope each week," said Shelby Way, administrator for Hope on the Streets.
Brittany Chavers, a formerly homeless Tyler resident, said the help she received from Hope on the Streets meant a lot to her.
"Really, we’re all just trying to find something in our lives, and they help us they really help us. I mean, I can’t express to you how much support," Chavers said.
The city of Tyler is motivated to keep this area under Gentry Bridge clear at least partly because in the last few years it’s been a dangerous part of town. And they feel that it’s maybe not the safest place for the homeless population to be staying.
"Over the course of, over the last year or two there’s been a sexual assault here, there has been a death here, and we’re doing this for the safety of everyone," Warren said.
Increased crime rates also drove Tyler police to put tape and signs that read "no trespassing allowed" up. For now, Hope on the Streets services are on pause. But Tyler Police Department spokesperson Andy Erbaugh said the department is evaluating the need for additional partners in the future to help provide resources for those living on the streets.
"That’s where the homeless community is familiar that they are, and that’s why Chief has authorized, and is working with NET Health (Northeast Texas Public Health District), have authorized those two at this time to be those that still operate under there," Erbaugh said.
Erbaugh is referring to Church Under the Bridge and Hunger For Love, which are different ministry that meet under the bridge to serve people experiencing homelessness during the weekend.
The overall goal of clearing the area during the week is to encourage folks to find safer places to stay. But when it comes to Hope on the Streets, Warren is encouraging them to join other ministries to serve on the weekends.