HOUSTON – Authorities made several arrests after discovering an illegal setup tapping into city water and electricity at a southwest Houston property, raising safety concerns amid the area’s growing homelessness challenges.
Houston police said the investigation started when the property owner found multiple people living in RVs on the land without permission. Officers found seven individuals illegally connected to a nearby transformer and water source to power their makeshift camp.
Residents described the setup as unusually sophisticated, capable of running appliances like toaster ovens and washing machines.
Nearby business owners expressed shock at the discovery so close to their workplaces.
“A little upset because we are out here working, struggling,” said Eva Pongratz, owner of Legacy Pet Care All Star Grooming. “Who knows if this even affects us, even though it’s just across the street.”
The Coalition for the Homeless reports more than 3,300 people are experiencing homelessness in Houston, a slight increase from last year. City officials say restrictions on camping downtown may be pushing encampments into surrounding neighborhoods.
All seven arrested face charges of theft of public utilities and remain in Harris County Jail. Council Member Edward Pollard’s office said the city is working on long-term solutions but acknowledged shelter bed availability still falls short of demand.
Houston City Council Member Edward Pollard provided the following statement:
“The recent arrests at an RV encampment for illegal utility hookups are deeply concerning. While no one is above the law, it’s important we frame this issue accurately. This is not solely a homelessness issue; it is an affordability issue.
I know the challenges many of our residents face just to make ends meet. Housing insecurity is not always about being without a roof; it’s about lacking access to safe, legal, and affordable living conditions. When people resort to desperate measures to survive, we must ask hard questions about the systems that led them there.
We cannot arrest our way out of an affordability crisis. We must address the root causes.
Let me be clear: stealing utilities is illegal and unsafe and I want to thank HPD for their diligence. But the long-term solution is investment in affordable housing, accessible social services, and in real pathways out of poverty."