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KTSM News – Downtown shelters struggle with fluctuating waves of migrants passing through the community

Posted on December 29, 2023

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – The Downtown Shelter Network (DSN), which is composed of the Opportunity Center for the Homeless, Sacred Heart Church and the Rescue Mission of El Paso, has been struggling to project the number of migrants expected to arrive at their facilities. 

Over the past few weeks, there have been steady surges of migrants arriving at the border in the El Paso/Ciudad Juarez sector, only to settle back down within days. 

The number of daily migrant encounters by CBP went up to over a thousand around Thanksgiving, only to come back down to around 700-800 encounters in the first weeks of December. 

“We’re seeing very severe fluctuations. We may see the numbers drop one day, but then the following day they’re back up on top. And so, we’re not seeing any consistent trends as it relates to it steadily increasing or steadily decreasing,” said Deputy Director for the Opportunity Center for the Homeless John Martin.

Altogether, the DSN has approximately 440 beds and with the fluctuating number of migrants coming through the city, they have been unsure of how to plan for the short-term or long-term. 

“It doesn’t enable us to forecast. Are we looking at an increased need? Do we need to step up or can we step down a little bit, take a breath and then wait for the next wave to come through? We’re just in that period of unknown,” Martin said. 

With the City of El Paso opening the Community Readiness Center (CRC) last week, formerly known as Morehead Middle School, Martin said it has alleviated the DSN as they prioritize housing migrant families with women and children.  

“And I don’t know what numbers they currently have within the shelter, but whether it’s 300 or 500 or 600, that is a direct benefit to the Downtown Shelter Network because in the absence of that center, that means those individuals would be coming to us.”

Martin highlighted that the collaborative effort of the El Paso County and the City, along with the DSN, has allowed them to address the fluctuating flow of migrants coming in and out of the community. 

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