Soon after a representative from the federal government told Dallas officials that their actions to decrease homelessness were having an impact, a discussion about how accurate that evaluation was spilled over into another committee meeting.
“What we’re focusing on is helping individuals who are living on the street, under bridges, in creeks, and on sidewalks and alleys, to find long-term, stable housing,” explained Council Member Jesse Moreno (District 2) told board members of the Dallas Area Partnership to End and Prevent Homelessness Local Government Corporation (DAEP) on Thursday.
While not part of the DAEP board, Moreno leads the Housing & Homelessness Solutions Committee.
“What I want to work on in challenging staff is providing transitional housing with comprehensive support services, while keeping public safety and mental-health services in mind,” said Moreno.
Offering transitional housing, or short-term shelter, before homeless individuals are placed in permanent housing has been a component of the City’s multifaceted approach to decreasing street-level homelessness.
“We know that in the City of Dallas, we are faced with about a 90% vacancy rate, which means it’s very expensive to get units … and to construct new units takes time and money,” Moreno explained. “So, the idea is to have this authorized transitional housing model that encourages people who are struggling with housing to have a place to go temporarily while they’re waiting for stable housing, rather than continuing to allow people to suffer on our streets and sidewalks.”
Polling by DX shows that roughly 75% of Dallas voters believe homelessness, vagrancy, and aggressive panhandling are “major” local issues. Residents also expressed their support for the “one-stop-shop” homeless services model used by Haven for Hope in San Antonio. The model has been credited with a 77% reduction in unsheltered homelessness in the city’s downtown area.
Some Dallas officials, including Council Member Cara Mendelsohn (District 12), have repeatedly questioned the legitimacy of the federal Point-in-Time count. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development uses this count to collect data on the number of people experiencing homelessness on a given day at least every other year, but critics argue that it does not provide an accurate picture of such data.
A Continuum of Care must complete point-in-time and housing inventory counts at least biannually. However, the Point-in-Time count does not necessarily include data on the number of people experiencing homelessness who are temporarily living in shelters, hotels, or with friends or relatives.
Mendelsohn called Dallas “an incredible partner in the Continuum of Care.”
“You can see why it’s important for us to continue to have this discussion and update,” Mendelsohn said. “And it appears there’s a shift that’s happening as council members have become overwhelmed with increasing homelessness complaints. … And it’s not just one place in the City. It’s everywhere.”
Mendelsohn noted that the latest Point-in-Time count, which indicated The number of homeless people in the Dallas area was decreasing, but this did not match what residents were actually seeing every day.
Mendelsohn said the latest Point-in-Time count showed progress, but she disagreed with this, saying the count was based on inaccurate data from volunteers with minimal training and incomplete maps that do not show likely places of encampments, and are affected by weather and the number of volunteers.
Housing Forward CEO Sarah Kahn stated that an estimated 3,718 people experienced homelessness every night in Dallas and Collin counties in 2024, which was a 19% decrease in overall homelessness and a 24% drop in unsheltered homelessness since 2021.
DAEP member Dr. Fred Cerise of District 9 mentioned the latest Point-in-Time count to acknowledge Housing Forward’s work.
Cerise spoke of the progress seen with Housing Forward and the recent Point-in-Time estimate, attributing much of it to coordinated efforts.
Housing Forward leads the All Neighbors Coalition, which includes over 140 organizations providing support and resources for people experiencing homelessness. collective A discussion on different strategies for addressing homelessness led to disagreement among officials at the meeting.
District 8 board member Celeste Arista Glover questioned the shift from the 100% housing for Housing First model and its potential to divert resources from proven methods.
Moreno stated that this had not been decided yet.
Moreno said this was still under consideration and emphasized that it was not about diverting funds from Housing Forward but about seeking alternative sources of funding.
Glover challenged Moreno's perspective, expressing concern that seeking additional funding from external sources could take away resources from effective initiatives.
The State of the Homeless address this week highlighted positive data, while Glover argued that pursuing additional funding could detract from successful efforts.
The Dallas Express reported in April that Rachel Wilson and some City officials disagreed on the best use of federal, state, and local taxpayer money for building temporary housing or permanent shelter during a committee meeting.
"You know, we understand that there are many different groups of people who are homeless – some who just lost their job recently, others who have been homeless for a long time," Moreno explained. "They may be struggling with substance abuse, mental health issues, or escaping domestic violence. We can't have a single solution for all of them." Glover seemed to prefer the Housing First model.
"The evidence shows that moving people from the streets into permanent housing is the most effective solution," Glover said. "There has been a lot of research supporting this, and we are seeing positive results in Dallas. Instead of placing them in temporary solutions like tiny homes or sanctioned encampments, it's better to move them into permanent housing."
Advocates should also consider how to encourage people to move into those sanctioned encampments.
Glover also mentioned, "We definitely cannot compel anyone to go somewhere they don't want to be."
Moreno suggested the idea of constructing "tiny home" communities for homeless individuals. tiny homes"We're exploring various options. What I can say is that the cities we've visited have 100% occupancy in these communities. They have been very successful in providing temporary housing, and the success rate in transitioning to permanent supportive housing is much higher," Moreno stated.
A few days after a federal liaison informed Dallas officials that their efforts to decrease homelessness were having an impact, a discussion about the accuracy of that evaluation spilled into another committee meeting. "We're focused on addressing individuals who are on the streets, under our bridges, in our creeks, and in our…"
“We’re looking at a variety of options. What I can tell you is the cities that we’ve toured have 100% occupancy. They have much success in getting individuals into this temporary housing. And the success rate when they do … go into permanent supportive housing is much higher,” said Moreno.
