GALVESTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The Galveston Police Department is launching a new unit aimed at connecting homeless people with services rather than making arrests, after data shows the island's homeless population has more than doubled since the pandemic.

City council approved $12,000 in taxpayer money last week to fund the department's new HOPE unit, a team of a few officers and a supervisor who will work with homeless people on the island.

Police Chief Doug Balli said the department will spend the next three months identifying partners.