Some Dallas officials say delays in repairing a roof leak and water damage at a Dallas-owned homeless shelter have led to mold problems and the closure of its child care area.
The group operating the facility reported both incidents to the city, but it took officials weeks to respond, according to a memo sent by city staff to the council.
Elected city officials voiced outrage over the handling of the shelter repairs during Monday’s Government Performance and Financial Management Committee meeting. Some said it put people’s lives at risk — and will cost taxpayers more to remedy.
“There were really [were] red flags," District 9 Council Member Paula Blackmon said during the meeting. "What can we do to make sure it doesn't get to red alert?"
Family Gateway, the nonprofit operating the shelter, reported the roof leak to the city June 3, 2023, according to a memo by city staff. Later that month, the group also reported water damage to the city’s office of homeless solutions. The city approved a vendor to assess and repair the roof on June 28, according to the memo included in Monday's briefing.
“Repairs were made on [July 3 and July 5], and at that point the vendor…recommended that the roof be replaced,” Christine Crossley, director of the city’s homeless solutions office, said during the meeting.
Crossely told the committee that Family Gateway reported mold on the first floor of the building, where the shelter’s child care center is, in late July. On Aug. 1, tests from the building “confirmed the presence of mold in the childcare area…and two guest rooms on the second floor,” according to the memo.
District 12 Council Member Cara Mendelsohn, who represents the area in which the facility is located, said she was almost speechless over the way the incident was handled.
“I think this entire thing was irresponsible and I am embarrassed to be a part of the city that didn’t take care of this roof, for a homeless shelter that we worked so hard to get going,” Mendelsohn said during the meeting.
The shelter was formerly a hotel before the city bought the facility in 2020.
Mendelsohn said it was not a good use of taxpayer money to repair the roof and now have to spend more to completely replace it.
City staff said the early July repairs were meant in part to bridge the gap until the whole roof could be replaced. Mendelsohn said the council was still in session in June when the issue was first reported and could have addressed the issue then.
“We have caused more damage to a brand new, beautiful building, because of our inaction,” Mendelsohn said. “I am super frustrated.”
District 1 Council Member Chad West also questioned the timeline of the process.
“This is where families in desperate situations of their lives, are living,” West said during the meeting. “For it to take two, three months to actually get this resolved is pretty terrible, in my opinion.”
West said the council would prioritize doling out funds for these types of emergency needs. Other council members wanted a clear explanation for the delays.
Donzell Gipson, an interim assistant city manager, told the committee this situation was unique because the city and Family Gateway are in a tenant agreement.
“There are city responsibilities outlined and then there are tenant responsibilities,” Gipson said. “I think what happened at each individual time that something was reported, they both went to the scorecard to say ‘who’s responsible’.”
That process slowed down getting a fix in place, he said. Gipson wouldn’t speculate about whether the current situation was due to delays in getting the roof repairs started.
The city started mold remediation in the child care area at the beginning of August, but that was put on hold while the city’s insurance adjuster reviewed the claim for the roof repairs and mold.
“After the adjustor did a site inspection…what he approved was for the city to go ahead and resume mold abatement,” Office of Risk Management Director Zeronda Smith said during the meeting. “We just needed the proposal.”
Once her office got involved in the issue in early August and notified the city’s insurance adjustor, Smith said it was important not to “make any moves” without the adjustor signing off.
City staff told the committee that there is a contractor set up to make the repairs once the insurance claim is finalized.
In the meantime, staff said the facility’s child care center was operating offsite. Later in Monday’s meeting, however, Mendelsohn read a text she said was from Ellen Magnis, the CEO of Family Gateway.
“She said [the childcare facility] is not functioning offsite,” Mendelsohn said. “She said [the facility] needs a negative test of mold to reopen.”
Staff told Mendelsohn the city would provide any documentation the facility needed to reopen the daycare operation.
Got a tip? Email Nathan Collins at ncollins@kera.org. You can follow Nathan on Twitter @nathannotforyou.
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