HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The sound of construction equipment at a house on the 6300 block of Costa Mesa is music to the ears of long-time neighbor Jethro Cooper.

The southwest Houston house sat empty for years, and a mix of teenagers after school, squatters, and a fire left the home as a community eyesore.

“Thank you for your effort in trying to bring it to their attention,” Cooper told ABC13 on Tuesday, about two weeks after Eyewitness News first noted problems with the house. “Now, since you brought it to their attention, they’re doing something about it.”

SEE MORE: Houston homes taken over by squatters leave owners, neighbors frustrated by legalities

However, Cooper knows one repair project on this house is insufficient to solve the more significant problem of homes in bad shape or occupied by squatters proliferating neighborhoods.

“We need help,” he said, noting that efforts to get the house torn down have gone nowhere, and chasing out drug users and others who may squat in the house offered temporary relief.

State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, promised, “We’re going to put this all together and fix it.”

Bettencourt is leading the Texas Senate’s initiative to improve the state’s squatter laws.

Generally speaking, squatter situations in Texas are considered civil matters, and it is challenging to get squatters out of a home without going through the tedious eviction process. In addition, Texas has strong property rights laws, so demolishing abandoned or dilapidated homes is also a prolonged problem.

Bettencourt said he has seen reports of these issues across the state, including the cases ABC13 highlighted over the past year.

“I’ve seen horror stories about squatting – some of your good work – all across the state. So, we’re bringing everyone in to talk about what we can do to stop squatting,” he said.

On Wednesday, Bettencourt is holding a hearing in Austin with an eye on passing bills next year to make it easier to push out squatters by increasing criminal penalties and giving law enforcement more tools.

“It’s just part of the times, but that doesn’t mean it’s acceptable. It shouldn’t be tolerated. It’s illegal, and we’re going to make it a lot more illegal once we get bills passed in the next legislative session,” he said.

“I think anything to help the person who is the victim is needed,” Riana Sherman, one of the squatting victims ABC13 first profiled in 2023, said. “When our situation happened, we called this person, we called that person for help, and nobody was able to help because the person who was squatting had a lease that was not a real lease.”

Sherman and her family were under contract to buy a house in Houston’s Meyerland area but had to pull out because squatters moved in and stayed.

She said her children were traumatized, and she lost thousands of dollars in the process.

“Am I hopeful? I always try to see the good in situations. I always like to be hopeful,” Sherman said, reacting to the possibility of new laws passing.

The Texas Legislature will convene next January. ABC13 will keep you updated on whether the state’s squatter laws will be refreshed to address the problem plaguing homeowners.

For news updates, follow Miya Shay on Facebook, X and Instagram.

Woman claims trespassers moved into her Meyerland rental home and changed her locks

2024 Longhorn Elite Invite

• May 15-18, 2024
• LCM (50 meters)
• Lee & Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center, Austin, TX
• Psych Sheets

The 2024 Longhorn Elite Invite will be held this weekend at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center at the University of Texas in Austin. The three-day meet will feature all Olympic events in its schedule. Among the list of athletes on the psych sheets includes Nic Fink who will swim both the 100 and 200 breaststrokes. Carson Foster will also be in attendance and is entered in four events, the 200 free, 400 free, 200 IM, and 400 IM.

Fink enters the meet and is coming off a World title in the 100 breaststroke as he won the event at the 2024 World Championships in Doha in February. He also won bronze in the 50 breast and 200 breast. Fink has been a core member of the US breaststroke group at the international level having qualified for Tokyo in 2021 and swimming at every world championship since as well.

The breaststroke events also feature numerous other big names such as Jake Foster, who also represented the US at 2024 Worlds finishing 4th in the 200 breast and 9th in the 100. Will Licon is also in the breaststroke events and looks to qualify for the Paris Olympics later this summer after finishing 3rd in the 200 breast at the 2020 Wave II Olympic Trials.

Jake’s older brother Carson Foster also highlights the psych sheets and is the top seed in the 400 free and 400 IM and the #2 seed in the 200 free behind NCAA Champion Luke Hobson and the #2 seed in the 200 IM behind Shaine Casas. Carson will look to qualify for his first Olympic team after finishing 3rd in the 400 IM and 4th in the 200 IM at 2020 Wave II Trials.

With the arrival of Bob Bowman as head coach, notable names absent from the meet include Regan Smith, Hubert Kos, and Leon Marchand. Bowman said last month that he would be splitting time between Tempe and Austin. 

Highlighting the women’s side of the meet includes Olympic Gold medalist Lydia Jacoby who is entered in the 100 breast, 200 breast, and 50 freestyle. German Olympian and Texas training partner Anna Elendt is also entered in the meet and is the #2 seed behind Jacoby in both breaststroke events.

2020 US Tokyo Olympian in the 1500 freestyle Erica Sullivan will take on a range of freestyle events as she is in the 200 free, 400 free, 800 free, and 1500 free. Also highlighting the mid/distance free events are Jillian Cox and Erin Gemmell. Both swimmers represented the US last summer at the 2023 World Championships.

2024 Worlds bronze medalist in the 50 free Kasia Wasick is also entered on the psych sheets and is the top seed in the 50 and 100 freestyles. Wasick represents Poland.

Numerous club swimmers will also be in attendance. The boys side is highlighted by 17 year old Maximus Williamson while the girls side is highlighted by Maggie Wanezek who will travel to the meet from Wisconsin.