Dallas needs regional partners to stop homeless surge

While it might seem stunningly obvious, addressing homelessness is a matter of simple mathematics. We aren’t saying solving homelessness is simple. That is a hugely complex problem often involving treatment for mental illness and addiction.

But reducing it in a meaningful way is something we can do.

If the number of people in need of shelter exceeds their options for shelter, homelessness results. Regardless of the underlying personal or societal factors, every person experiencing homelessness lacks housing. And contrary to popular opinion, homelessness doesn’t know geographic boundaries.

Homelessness in Dallas increased sharply in the past decade, and North Texas’ largest city remains at the epicenter of homelessness in the region, despite more investment and coordination between public and private entities, especially in Dallas County.

However, reducing homelessness is a regional responsibility that requires resources and effective strategies. Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson’s homelessness task force in June noted that rehousing homeless people is a time-intensive process made more difficult by the continued inflow of newly unhoused people, too few affordable housing options in Dallas and the lack of shelter capacity in the city. And while that is a challenge for Dallas, it also is a challenge for surrounding suburbs.

A count in Collin and Dallas counties earlier this year found 4,244 individuals experiencing homelessness. Roughly, 72% were in emergency shelters, transitional housing and safe-haven projects, and the remaining 28% were considered unsheltered and staying in a place not meant for human habitation.

A recent Dallas Morning News story illustrated the impact on Plano, where the homeless count has risen 16.5% since 2022. Around 50% of the people counted as homeless in Plano lived in an emergency shelter, roughly 31% lived in a transitional shelter and 18% were unsheltered. Separately, the story reported that Plano ISD identified roughly 1,000 students as homeless during the 2022-23 school year.

And that’s the ongoing challenge for North Texas. The Dallas mayor’s task force recommended increased funding and loosening zoning and construction regulations to reduce the number of unsheltered individuals and to dismantle homeless encampments. Toward that goal, Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax’s proposed city budget includes $1.5 million for decommissioning homeless encampments, another $1 million on building fences to keep homeless individuals out of encampment-prone areas and $1.1 million for the “cleaning” of encampments.

But unless the region’s overall housing shortages and affordability challenges abate, homelessness in the region will remain at unacceptable levels. On available rental units alone, Dallas lacks 33,660 affordable units for people making at or below 50% of the area median income, according to a recent Child Poverty Action Lab report.

That homelessness hasn’t touched your community in large numbers doesn’t mean that it won’t. Public-private sector collaborations that add shelter options for homeless people and increase the overall housing stock for working North Texans are critical to this region’s future. And all of us have a role in making that happen.

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