New non-profit ‘Arbor of Hope’ to bring housing, mental health resources to homeless population in Bell County

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BELL COUNTY, Texas (KWTX) – A new non-profit is coming to Bell County after being approved by both Temple and Killeen city councils.

For the city of Temple, ‘Arbor of Hope’ is part of a much bigger plan to improve the quality of life for residents.

“That came from our mental health and homeless strategic plan, that came out of the process of wanting to assist those living in homelessness,” says Allison O’Conner with the City of Temple.

The non-profit plans to bring two campuses to Bell County, Arbor of Hope West will be in Killeen and Arbor of Hope East will be in Temple.

These campuses will go one step further than a homeless shelter by serving as transitional housing for anyone who finds themselves on the street.

“Those will assist people who are currently dealing with homelessness in a way such as mental health resources, along with other resources you would see at a homeless shelter like food and a place to sleep,” O’Conner adds.

Councilmember Jose Segarra says the project continues to gain support across Bell County. He especially saw the need after a recent city-wide count of the homeless population in Killeen.

“We did a count and there are about 150 of them out there, so these are the people that our homeless shelters and ‘Families in Crisis’ sometimes cannot reach and so we are trying to help them too,” Segarra says.

There are still more discussions ahead to secure land and other necessities for the project. Temple leaders say the campuses could open by the end of the year.

Copyright 2023, KWTX. All rights reserved.

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