KILLEEN, Texas (KXXV) — Killeen could be left without a homeless shelter by the end of the year after Armor of God announced it will not move forward with plans to open a new facility on Medical Drive.
The setback comes as Friends in Crisis, the city's current homeless shelter, is set to close its doors at the end of the year. The city council is scheduled to discuss funding for Friends in Crisis on Tuesday under a previous agreement to keep the shelter open through this year.
JT Haun, founder of Armor of God, said that with a tight deadline, extra costs, and the city's ability to shut them down under different circumstances, the Dream Center is no longer feasible.
"We want to make sure that we exhaust everything that we can do to try to make it happen, but unfortunately, we only have a certain amount of bandwidth to be able to do this, and if it's gonna be where they're in control, then we just can't really move forward,” Haun said.
"The city has never put restraints on a business that is trying to open to tell them how to operate and what their staff has to look like. And we were just very surprised that there was a CUP because we've been in consultation with the city over the previous several months," Cecil Bowles, vice president of the Armor of God board, added.
At Thursday's city council meeting, leaders voted to approve the shelter under a conditional use permit, which added extra restrictions Armor of God would be required to follow — including around-the-clock security and fencing — driving up the cost of opening.
City code only allows homeless shelters to be placed in residential areas, which drew concerns about the proposed location near a neighborhood, business, church, and school.
Councilmember Charles Kimble of District 2 raised concerns at the meeting about what operating a shelter in a residential area would look like.
"You can't have people, the residents, sitting outside or walking around. You got to have staff to monitor it. It just seems kind of very intrusive in my in my opinion," Kimble said.
Neighbors also weighed in at the meeting, with some supporting the plan and others opposing it.
"I do support Mr. Hahn's vision, but not at this location for the sake of the safety and well-being of the children, staff, and families of Saint Joseph Academy," a neighbor said.
Others urged the council to act.
"Based on past actions by this council, it appears y'all are running away from this issue. As previous speakers have mentioned, you had to be shamed into supporting the current homeless shelter, So why don't you help him help some of our most vulnerable citizens by approving his request," a neighbor said.
With Friends in Crisis set to close and no replacement in sight, city leaders are back at the same issue they faced just a few months ago.
"I do represent my community, and we knew that this was a serious situation that we were being placed in. We knew that we were in a situation where there was a crunch time, where there was a problem with an organization that we did not want to continue throwing dollar after dollar," Mayor Pro-Tem Jessica Gonzalez said at the council meeting.
Despite the setback, Armor of God says its mission remains, and the organization will continue to serve and love on the community. They currently provide resources and furniture for neighbors.
"We're not going to quit. We're not going to give up. We're not going to change our mind. We're going to continue to go forward, and we're confident the next door will open, and it will be even better than this one would have been," Cecil Bowles, vice president of the Armor of God board, said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
