Yesterday, I had the honor of accompanying the BCSO SCORE Team to investigate several homeless encampments that had been reported. In my capacity as the Board President, I was tasked with informing the homeless men and women that they could not camp out on property owned by Villages of Westcreek. This was a challenging task for me, as I was not familiar with their circumstances, and what I saw was incredibly disheartening. However, the Bexar County deputies who accompanied us were compassionate and provided them with many resources. The people living on our property requested some time to gather their belongings before leaving, and we granted them 24 hours as recommended by the deputies.

Today, the deputies went out to ensure that our property was vacated. We found only two areas where people were living. The first was south of the Townhomes and closer to the creek area, which would have impacted the residents of The Summit and The Woods the most. The second was behind Creek Ash, which would have affected those living in The Bluffs and The Hills the most. These people have been living there for about nine months. One of the men was a veteran who received benefits and used a walker but chose not to go to a shelter. He was given many resources in case he changed his mind.

Bexar County advised us to remove any remaining items, as they could potentially attract additional homeless individuals to the area. As it is our responsibility to clear the area, I made sure to double-check that both camps were located on Westcreek property. After some investigation, I discovered that the first camp actually falls under the jurisdiction of The Townhomes, so they will be handling the cleanup for that area. We are currently working diligently to clear the second campsite and will be taking measures to prevent future encampments by blocking off the area and posting no trespassing and no dumping signs.

As Board members, we are faced with difficult decisions such as this on a daily basis, which were not listed in the job description. Despite the challenges, I and the rest of the Board are committed to restoring our community to what it used to be and providing a safe and comfortable living environment for all residents. That is why so many of us chose to live here in the first place.

Below are some of the images of the Homeless Camps discovered in our community!

We want to thank the BCSO Score Team and County Officials who helped us in addressing this issue.

Sincerely, 

Elaine Maurer, President, VWOA Board of Directors