By Kim Malcolm, KERA 90.1 reporter
Dallas, TX – Kim Malcolm, KERA 90.1 reporter: Dallas voters will find Proposition 17 sitting at the very bottom of the ballot. It earmarks $3 million towards the city's first 24-hour intake center for the homeless. The Reverend Bruce Buchanan of First Presbyterian's Stewpot in downtown Dallas, says the city's exploding homeless population means the idea is overdue.
Reverend Bruce Buchanan, First Presbyterian's Stewpot: Our daily average for lunch 2 years ago was 250; yesterday, April 22, 2003, we served 497 people. That was a 28-year non-holiday record for us. We have almost doubled in demand.
Malcolm: The problem isn't just the economic downturn. Karen Bradford, the Director of Environmental Health Services for the city of Dallas, says the city's main homeless shelter, the Day Resource Center, is deteriorating.
Karen Bradford, Director, Dallas Environmental Health Services: We're talking about a facility that's almost 20 years old, with no major renovations since then. We see 250-350 clients a day, and we don't have the capacity to expand the programs. We can only offer band-aid services.
Malcolm: When Mayor Laura Miller convened a summit on the homeless last fall, homeless advocates and city and county officials agreed the time had come for a center, to relieve pressure on the 20+ service providers in the city. But despite this consensus - and no organized opposition - Proposition 17 may have trouble passing. Polling data from the political consulting group Allyn & Associates suggests Propositions 5 & 12 on the performing arts center and Proposition 17 on the homeless have less than 50% support among voters. Some voters like Pam Thomas drew the line at Proposition 8.
Pam Thomas, Dallas voter: My understanding is that 1 through 8 do not call for a tax increase; props beyond 8 will call for a tax increase. I certainly agree these are all worthy issues. My issue is that I see what the local economy is doing, and I'm just not sure the people we have at city hall will maintain the items in the future.
Malcolm: Others, like David Butler, voted for Proposition 17.
David Butler, Dallas voter: We need to do something with the homeless. I'm not sure what, but the mayor seems to have an idea that might work. And I'm willing to go for that.
Malcolm: Whatever the result of the vote, Karen Bradford warns the problem isn't going away.
Bradford: The homeless is not an issue of South Dallas, or an issue of downtown; the homeless is an issue of the city. For those people in North Dallas thinking this is not mine, I would suggest they check and see how many of their neighbors have had a turnover in the last year, and do they know where those neighbors went?
Malcolm: The election is this Saturday, May 3rd. For KERA 90.1, I'm Kim Malcolm.
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