Fort Worth City Council took two steps in addressing the city’s need for more housing by approving new initiatives during its March 19 meeting.
In a unanimous vote, council members approved the creation of a new program dedicated to bringing direct psychiatric services to people experiencing homelessness in seven designated areas. Council also unanimously approved an amendment to protect veterans using housing vouchers from income discrimination.
These motions come as Fort Worth continues to look at ways to tackle its growing need for more affordable housing in a booming city.
The city has a high voucher denial rate — 78% according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development — which makes it hard for people receiving housing assistance to find places to live.
There was a 27% increase in veteran homelessness in Tarrant County in 2023, according to the Tarrant County Homeless Coalition. That group makes up about 8% of the county’s total homeless population.
In 2022 alone, the homeless coalition served 490 veterans and about 20% of those veterans returned to homelessness within two years.
The new ordinance language would make discriminating against veterans based on their source of income a Class C misdemeanor.
The second item, the High-Impact Pilot, allows the city to enter into an agreement with MHMR of Tarrant County to quickstart the pilot, with an initial cost of $1.1 million beginning May 1.
Having a physical or mental disability is among the top reasons why someone becomes homeless, according to the Homeless Coalition. About 30% of people experiencing homelessness had one or more stays in a psychiatric facility in their lifetime.
Individuals who are chronically homeless, who have been homeless for more than one year or more than four times in three years, and with a disability are considered a priority group in 2024 for homeless agencies.
Council member Elizabeth Beck thanked staff for rapidly bringing this solution to council for a vote.
“I continue to be proud of the city of Fort Worth in the way that we take strides to address those in our city that really need that support, whether it be homeless or mental health,” she said.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.