EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — El Paso City Council approved $380,000 in gap funding for the city’s Welcome Center as part of the Fiscal Year 2027 budget, keeping the facility operating 24 hours a day from September 2026 through February 2027 while the Opportunity Center works with community partners on a long-term funding plan.

The Welcome Center is part of the city’s El Paso Helps Initiative and the Humanitarian Engagement Action Response Team (HEARTS) Initiative.

It provides a 24/7 location where first responders and outreach teams can connect people experiencing homelessness with immediate services, including shelter navigation, medical care, case management and other resources.

RELATED: Downtown El Paso Welcome Center faces possible closure as funding runs out

El Paso Helps, along with the HEARTS Initiative, is the city’s coordinated approach to homelessness. The effort includes more than 40 public agencies, nonprofit organizations, health care providers and community partners working to connect people experiencing homelessness with services and support.

The City has consistently supported efforts to address homelessness because we know this is one of our community’s most complex challenges,” City Manager Dionne Mack said. “This gap funding supports continued access to critical services while the Opportunity Center and community partners develop a sustainable path forward. It allows us to respond to an immediate need with compassion while keeping the focus on a long-term solution.

City officials said the city’s investment in addressing homelessness extends beyond the Welcome Center.

The Fiscal Year 2027 budget includes $3.1 million in federal funding for broader homelessness response efforts, in addition to the $380,000 in gap funding.

The city said it will continue coordinating with public safety agencies, service providers, health care organizations and nonprofit partners to connect people experiencing homelessness with available resources through the El Paso Helps and HEARTS initiatives while the Opportunity Center advances its long-term funding strategy.

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