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SPECIAL REPORT: How do we fix CC's homeless issue?

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We've given you an in-depth look at the city's homeless issues for the last month.

But what can be done? And how long could it take to find a solution?

It's actually tough to answer either question, because the city needs more information.

Gathering that information is part of the city's new homeless and affordable housing division's mission.

In forming the division, city leaders have said they don't want to spend more taxpayer money on the problem.

However, solutions like a tiny homes village, like the one in Austin, aren't cheap.

That means a non-profit or some other private entity would have to be willing to spend a lot of money.

And according to experts, identifying a solution now is premature while the city does its research.

"Before we find a solution, we need to actually identify and describe the problem," said Sarah Scott, an associate professor at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. "The first step in that is getting an accurate count of how many homeless people we have in Corpus Christi, and then beyond that finding out what their needs are.

Every year, the Department of Housing and Urban Development requires the city to count its homeless. But experts say that count only identifies about a third of the homeless population.

I'll have more coming up this evening on KRIS 6 News.

To see all of our homeless coverage from the last month, go to KRISTV.com.