The city of Irving's short-term plan to address visible impacts of homelessness in its downtown include increased police patrols, adding center arm rests on benches, and coordinating with outreach organizations — but some residents and council members say those are inadequate solutions to a bigger issue.
Imelda Speck, Senior Manager of Housing & Redevelopment, said during last week’s city council work session that businesses have reported public health and sanitation concerns.
“There have been some heightened concerns due to some of, or tied, I should say, to some of the visible impacts of homelessness downtown,” Speck said.
She said residents have reported public defecation, litter, and food waste from unauthorized feedings throughout downtown. There have also been reports of people sleeping on benches, overnight camping, and disruptions to storefronts due to loitering and other encampments along sidewalks.
Kathryn Johnson, the city’s health inspections manager, said the city is not proactively enforcing requirements on how to feed homeless people. She proposed strictly enforcing serving standards and permit requirements in the future, along with amending ordinances to limit the amount of feeding sites and events.
While Speck, Johnson, and representatives from the city’s parks and police departments were present during the work session, Council Member Dennis Webb questioned why the city’s homelessness outreach team was not present.
He also said the city should work with its local non-profits to assess how to effectively address homelessness in the city.
“You got people that are in the homeless business in this city, been in it for years,” Webb said. “And then we're coming up with strategies to deal with homelessness, but you never utilize them, you never utilize these non-profits. They're some of your best consultants.”
There are 43 people estimated to be experiencing homelessness in Irving, according to Housing Forward’s Point in Time data, Irving communications manager Saul Garcia said.
The Point in Time Count records sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness and is documented on a single night in January.
But Lana Hansen, founder and executive director of Many Helping Hands, said that number is not accurate.
Many Helping Hands is an organization in Irving that provides Thursday night meals at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and leases space at the Bear Creek Community Church for its day center services like showers and laundry.
Hansen said the organization served 728 people last year. That number records individual visits and does not include people who returned.
Disruptions in downtown are due to a few bad actors and are not representative of the homeless community in Irving, Hansen said.
“These are people that are citizens of Irving,” Hansen said. “They've lived here for years, a lot of them have grown up here, their parents have grown up here and they've gone to school here. And there's no place for them to go.”
Hansen, who spoke during the work session, told council members that homeless people need support, not fines, arrests, or to be shuffled around the city.
Irving resident Tammy Cain, who owns Joe's Coffee Shop, also spoke during last week's meeting. She told the city council she's been assisting homeless people at her location for the last three decades.
There are established rules Cain said she communicates with homeless residents which allows them to come outside of business hours and requires people to clean up after themselves.
Cain said she was concerned about being fined for letting people sleep on her property at night.
"They just wanna be safe," Cain said. "As a Christian business owner, I feel I'm compelled to help others and to not let anybody go hungry, especially in a restaurant."
Got a tip? Email Megan Cardona at mcardona@kera.org.
KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you!
