Port Arthur Mayor Thurman Bartie is looking to tackle the city's homeless issue.
"I see it everyday so I can't ignore it and I know them people and so I can't ignore them," Bartie said. "When you have a municipality, you're going to have a homeless person."
On August 29 Port Arthur's grant and management division partnered with Texas Homeless Network to conduct a one-day count of the homeless people in the city.
Bartie says roughly 60 people were classified as homeless, which is an increase from the 26 counted in January by a local homeless coalition group. While it's not a major increase, he believes there's work to be done, and reminds people that this was an informal survey.
"When I see or hear the number that we have here it's such a low number and low percentage, that still does not preclude us from doing what we can to try to eradicate it," he said.
Typically, these counts are conducted during the first part of year. Port Arthur city leaders asked for another study. They are hoping if the state sees a slight increase--they will be able to provide more grant money. That money would pay for additional shelters and programs to get people off the streets.
The full report from Texas Homeless Network will be released in the next few months.
"We gotta be patient and allow what we know needs to happen to begin to happen," Bartie said.