A member of the Amarillo City Council is coming under fire for comments he made about Amarillo's homeless population during the board's meeting on Tuesday.
Howard Smith, the Place 4 councilman on the Amarillo City Council, is being hammered by activists for comments he made during Tuesday's meeting. On Tuesday, the Amarillo City Council voted unanimously to renew the HOPE Program contract with Amarillo Housing First, providing some limited work options to Amarillo's homeless. During the Council's discussions with assistant city manager Kevin Starbuck, Smith asked why the program is not operated year-round.
"One of the challenges is we view it from a health and safety perspective also," Starbuck said in response to Smith's comment. "When we get into the winter months when it is 20 degrees outside, many of our homeless population are potentially medically compromised and we just feel that it is a situation that potentially creates a danger that we don't want to create."
Smith then replied with a comment that has drawn criticism from some residents and activists in Amarillo.
"I'm for this very much but I think mainly the participants are homeless so they are used to being cold," Smith said. "If you provided it year round, it could be good."
The comments by Smith drew immediate backlash from some in attendance who are involved with the homeless community. Claudette Smith, an Amarillo resident who was in attendance at Tuesday's meeting, said that she felt Smith's comments were "cold-hearted."
"I felt Councilman Smith's statement was insensitive and incompassionate," Claudette Smith told the Amarillo Pioneer. "Especially being made immediately after Mr. Starbuck just finished explaining that they view it from a health and safety perspective and in the winter months when it's 20 degrees outside, some of our homeless population is medically compromised and it would be a situation that would create a danger to them. Saying that a person is use to being cold is like saying a person is use to being hungry. His statement was simply coldhearted."
Claudette Smith also went on to say that she believes Howard Smith should resign from the City Council for his comments or issue an apology to the homeless population in Amarillo.
"I think Councilman Smith should resign, more so for a multitude of reasons unrelated to Tuesday's comment," Claudette Smith said. "At the very least he owes this community and most importantly the homeless an apology."
Jerri Glover, a local realtor and political activist, also condemned Smith's comments, saying that they showed a lack of understanding on the Councilman's part.
"The lack of awareness and compassion in Mr. Smith's comment is disappointing," Glover told the Amarillo Pioneer. "No one gets 'used to being cold.'"
On Thursday, the Amarillo Pioneer attempted to contact Smith to find out if he could clarify his statements made during Tuesday's meeting. At press time, Councilmember Howard Smith had not returned our request for comment.
Howard Smith was first elected to the Amarillo City Council in May of 2017, as one of five candidates elected in a slate that was heavily-supported by the Amarillo Matters PAC. Smith, particularly, also earned heavy support from the Texas Association of Realtors PAC and the Amarillo Association of Realtors. Smith defeated incumbent Mark Nair to win his first term, 71 percent to 29 percent. Smith will be up for re-election in May of 2019.
Photo by Howard Smith Campaign