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Ms. Bobbie and the Downtown Housing Surge
Aubry Vonck • February 24, 2021
In January, the Coalition outreach team, with the help of public and private partners, set out to permanently house 32 people living in an encampment in Downtown Houston. Most housing surges like this one require the help of many partners. This one was no exception and even included the help of a rather unusual partner!
One of the key activities when someone moves into permanent housing is transportation to their new home. Once those living in these encampments had packed their belongings, they were provided with Yellow Cab Taxi vouchers in order to travel to their new apartments.
Despite each voucher having a $15 balance, the drivers were unable to process the cards and clients were temporarily unable to travel to their new homes. One driver, however, was determined to resolve the issue.
Ms. Bobbie, a Yellow Cab driver who drives the only pink taxicab in the Houston area, learned that the computer system in their cabs was not updated for drivers to use the vouchers. Bobbie was not concerned about being paid on the spot; however, and proceeded to transport the majority of the 32 people who had been living at the encampment. She went above and beyond to make sure that everyone was comfortable and even stayed with some of the more vulnerable clients to ensure that they were getting connected to the right people at each property.
And more than just transporting people from the encampments to their new homes, Ms. Bobbie was determined to resolve this issue with Yellow Cab and brought her concerns to her manager. But her advocating didn’t stop there. Bobbie continued to make her voice heard throughout the company; soon, her concerns were heard by Yellow Cab’s national leadership team. Bobbie was notified that the Yellow Cab’s computer system would be updated immediately, and this update would allow all their drivers to accept the taxi vouchers in-person throughout the nation.
32 clients moved into housing during the Downtown surge and Bobbie helped transport the majority of them. Bobbie’s kindness and compassion inspire everyone around her, including us at the Coalition; we are grateful to her and are honored to consider her an ally and a friend!
Special thanks to the many partners who assisted with this housing surge:
Clutch Consulting
HPD Homeless Outreach Team
SEARCH Homeless Services
The Harris Center
Career and Recovery
Healthcare for the Homeless
Salvation Army
Houston Police Department’s Differential Response Team (DRT)
The City of Houston
Houston’s Downtown Management District
The Beacon
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