Mayor John Whitmire attempted to quell concerns and misconceptions about a major homeless resource hub during a walkthrough of the city’s planned East End facility on Monday.

The walkthrough comes just two days before city councilmembers are expected to vote on a motion that would secure $16 million in funding for the initiative. Whitmire said the vote was delayed last week in preparation for a press conference at the facility on Monday.

The site at 419 Emancipation Ave. — part of a long-term initiative to end street homelessness — is expected to serve as a triage site with psychiatric services and substance abuse programs. City housing officials said the hub is also aiming to fill a critical gap for the unhoused community by providing 24-hour intake services.

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Whitmire, who called the center a huge step forward, said that the city will also work to provide resources to people being released from the Harris County Jail, located about a mile away from the facility in Houston’s East End. He said many people who go through the mental health diversion program in the jail are stable but have nowhere to go.

“Harris County, quit releasing your inmates at midnight,” he said. “I’ve been raising hell about that for years. You go over there at 12 o’clock on San Jacinto, the garage door is lifted. Some family is there to pick up their loved ones, many are not. With no resources, not a dollar, and nowhere to go.”

The hub was first pitched weeks ago as a low-barrier alternative for chronically homeless people. It would have no program requirements, no pet prohibitions, the ability for couples to enter together, and no restrictions on entry hours. It’s expected to also provide pathways to temporary and permanent housing solutions.

The building is equipped with more than 200 beds. Mike Nichols, the director of the city’s housing and community development department, said the capacity is higher than that, as some people may only come in for immediate resources.

On Monday, other city officials claimed that the facility could help Houston become the first major city in the U.S. to effectively solve homelessness.

“The violence that happens on the streets, the carnage that occurs, the impacts on the surrounding community on parks and on neighborhoods where people are afraid to let their kids out because of what they’re seeing out there, it’s just unacceptable for our city,” Larry Satterwhite, the city’s public safety and homeland security director, said.

Satterwhite previously pitched the hub as essential while the city ramps up citations of homeless people.

“Right now, you can go two blocks in any direction and you’ll see people strung out, laid out on the ground, homeless,” he said. “We want to bring them in, we want to get them help. We want to move them to a better place.”

About 1,200 of the 3,000 homeless people in Harris County live on the streets, according to the Coalition for the Homeless. With less than 2,000 temporary beds, the existing shelter system is insufficient to house them.

Community pushback to the homeless hub came to a head last week during a news conference and a tense community meeting. Residents suggested the facility will attract people who may cause issues. One resident said it would create a situation where East End residents “become prey to predators.”

On Monday, Whitmire called certain concerns from residents “distractions,” like a suggestion that the hub could lower property values.

“We know better than that,” he said. “We don’t deal with distractors; we have a mission.”