‘Nothing ever gets resolved’ | Residents say calls to 311 aren’t working as trash piles up in Houston’s South Union community

Houston’s South Union residents say their calls about illegal dumping go unanswered, prompting them to organize community cleanups.

HOUSTON — Frustrated neighbors in Houston’s South Union community say they’re fed up with illegal dumping, overgrown lots and abandoned properties — and that their repeated calls to 311 have gone unanswered.

“I’ve called and waited long enough,” said Tamara Alexander, a lifelong South Union resident and president of the neighborhood’s civic association. “Each street has dumping or overgrown lots, abandoned homes. It’s the entire neighborhood.”

KHOU 11’s Michelle Choi joined Alexander for a drive through South Union, where they passed piles of trash, boarded-up homes, and even a homeless encampment along Good Hope Street. Alexander says she’s spent years trying to get the city’s attention, only to be bounced between departments.

“It’s like playing a ping pong game — this department, that department — and nothing ever gets resolved,” she said.

Alexander says she and her neighbors have taken it upon themselves to clean up parts of the community, organizing monthly volunteer efforts. But it’s not enough.

“There’s only so much we can do,” she said. “311, in my opinion, is a graveyard for complaints.”

Alexander reached out to KHOU 11 after seeing the station’s recent report on illegal dumping in the Fifth Ward, where city crews cleared a neglected lot just days after residents spoke out.

“I saw what you all did in 5th Ward and thought, let me shoot my shot,” Alexander said.

Since KHOU 11 began investigating, residents from multiple neighborhoods, including South Union, 5th Ward, and Harrisburg, have reached out to share similar concerns. 

Attorney Randall Kallinen, who lives in the East End, says dumped furniture and even trailer homes are becoming a common sight.

“It’s atrocious,” Kallinen said. “I’ve seen a proliferation of dumping, and I hope the city does something about it.”

Alexander took her concerns to City Hall this week, joining other South Union residents at a council meeting.

“We can’t take this any longer,” she told council members. “If we can’t get the basics of trash pickup and illegal dumping handled, how can y’all manage anything else?”

District D Council Member Carolyn Evans-Shabazz acknowledged residents’ frustrations, urging them to continue calling 311 and also contact her office directly with service request numbers.

“I promise you we do respond very quickly,” she said.

After KHOU 11 started pushing for answers, city crews returned to South Union this week, clearing some of the trash piles. But neighbors say it’s still not enough. They want all of it gone and for the city’s citation notices to have real consequences.

KHOU 11’s Michelle Choi will meet with Council Member Evans-Shabazz on Thursday in South Union to discuss long-term solutions and the city’s next steps.

Got a news tip or story idea? Email us at newstips@khou.com or call 713-521-4310 and include your name and the best way to reach you.