Behind Closed Doors: Fort Worth Hits Major Milestone

Published on July 29, 2025

Knock knock.

“Hello, it’s Code Compliance.” That’s how Senior Officer Brooke Stevenson begins most of her mornings, traipsing across Fort Worth, checking on the people many in the community overlook. While Code Compliance is often associated with keeping neighborhoods clean and orderly, there is a lesser-known side of the job. One rooted in compassion and the protection of our most vulnerable neighbors.

Before Fort Worth fully implemented its Boarding Home Ordinance in 2023, conditions in these homes were often grim. Many residents who are older, veterans, or individuals with physical or mental disabilities, lived in silence behind closed doors. In some homes, neglect was the norm: no running water, broken windows, roach infestations, and rooms with buckets functioning as toilets. Officer Stevenson recalls one resident, a partially blind, wheelchair-bound veteran, who lived in a back room surrounded by flies and filth. There was no one to advocate for him. That changed when the city stepped in.

“We visited a house with no heat, no hot water, then no water at all for a month. The residents finally broke down and called 911,” recounts Officer Stevenson. These types of situations used to be alarmingly common. Many residents suffered from schizophrenia, dementia, or Alzheimer’s, often without consistent access to care.

That began to change when the City of Fort Worth passed an ordinance to regulate and monitor boarding homes. The policy required operators to register, and a mere eight operators did so willingly. After all, new rules meant paying a fee and agreeing to routine inspections. Operators remained reluctant to city oversight, but Officer Stevenson continued her work.

She and now two Fort Worth police officers have helped bring accountability to boarding homes, believing that every visit, every follow-up, and every connection made can lead to better outcomes for the people inside. She often acts not only as an inspector but also as a case worker, connecting residents with resources, helping them find safer housing, and making sure no one slips through the cracks.

“Most of them have no family, or their family lives out of state and can’t help,” Stevenson explained. “So I try to be that advocate. I want their homes to be safe and comfortable, not just barely livable.”

Today, thanks to the persistence of Code Compliance, the program has reached a major milestone: FIFTY FOUR registered boarding homes. And with registration comes transformation. In the homes now in compliance, residents enjoy clean, livable environments. Many now have warm meals, working utilities, and the dignity that every person deserves.

An article by the American Journal of Public Health once described boarding homes as “human warehouses.” Fort Worth’s Code Compliance team is working to change that reality. One safe home at a time.

“I’m just trying to make sure they’re okay,” said Stevenson. “If I can help them meet basic needs like heat, water, and a clean bed, that’s what matters.”

And that is why she keeps knocking.

Learn more about boarding homes in Fort Worth here.