Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner ordered the clean up of a homeless encampment near Midtown on Thursday afternoon and the operation started on Friday morning.
The City said in a news release from the Mayor’s Office that this comes after the “Local Health Authority” declared the area a public health nuisance.
The City contends the clean up of the Wheeler homeless encampment is necessary because of human waste, mosquitoes, garbage and other conditions that can make people sick.
Clean up under Highway 59, from Caroline Street to Almeda Road, began early on Friday.
City officials said notices had been previously given to people living under the Wheeler bridge and they are trying to provide housing and mental health care information to those people.
In a statement, Turner said that “no one is being punished because he or she is homeless, but we are facing a public health hazard.”