Tiny homes and pallet shelters are among the options the City of Dallas is exploring as it looks for housing solutions for the homeless.
A special called Housing and Homelessness Solutions Committee meeting was held Tuesday. That was weeks after four committee members met with an outside group of philanthropists to discuss homelessness solutions and, allegedly, relocating The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center from downtown.
Pallet, a public benefit corporation, briefed the committee Tuesday.
Patrick St. Mary, territory sales manager with Pallet, described communities of shelters for people experiencing homelessness.
The first Pallet Safe Stay Community was built in 2021. Since then, Pallet has built more than 135 villages across 29 states, which are typically run by nonprofit organizations such as Catholic Charities and United Way.
St. Mary said the average stay ranges from six months to a year with 60% of people typically ending up in permanent housing.
The shelters range from a single bed, 70 square foot sleeper to a two-bed 120-square foot building. The villages also offer restrooms, bathrooms, laundry, and community rooms.
St. Mary said building a Pallet village is a $1.2 million one-time cost. Shelters can be taken down and stored for future use when no longer needed, he added.
The average nightly cost per individual averages $91, however St. Mary said the largest pallet site in the country located in Tampa, Florida has a nightly cost of $25.
He added that Pallet can help the city of Dallas with methods on how to keep costs down.
Mayor Pro Tem Jesse Moreno and Council Member Lorie Blair both expressed concern over the shelters' durability with high winds. St. Mary said the shelters are made of non-organic materials and can be anchored to the ground to withstand high winds.
Council Member Chad West, who is not on the committee, also attended Tuesday's meeting. He said he thinks every council member takes the issue of homelessness seriously and understands the impacts on both sheltered and unsheltered people.
"At the end of the day, you know, I believe most of us also think our goal is to get people permanently off the streets, not just temporarily off the streets," West said. "But I know this is an option that a lot of us are interested in."
St. Mary also said Pallet employs more than 100 people with lived experiences of substance use, incarceration, and homelessness. These employees help design the shelters and learn manufacturing skills to take to other companies after graduating from the program.
Dallas-based OurCalling plans to open a 500 tiny home community on 280 acres of unincorporated land near Ferris, Texas. The OurCommunity development will be made up of 25 home neighborhoods designed around courtyard and community gathering spaces.
OurCalling CEO Wayne Walker said the organization visited more than 70 tiny home communities to develop long term solutions for people who need long term care.
"We want to be able to provide all the services people need in one singular location," Walker said.
He added that pharmaceutical, food, and Veterans Affairs services would all be resources they plan to provide in the community.
OurCalling serves around 10,000 people across Dallas County, working with 15 partner agencies to primarily assist homeless people.
The organization has an outreach center near downtown Dallas which provides basic need services that include laundry, showers, food, phone charging stations and free WiFi. Partner agencies also provide pharmaceutical, medical, counseling, food, and shelter services.
Walker said the organization is faith-based, but does not require anyone it serves to follow a specific faith.
"Our vision is for all neighbors to be in healthy community," Walker said. "And we measure that by people being cared for with dignity and connected with intentionality."
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