The Dallas City Council approved a $10 million contract with Housing Forward for homelessness services, but the item was almost not included during Wednesday's meeting.
The money will go to the second phase of Housing Forward's Street to Home initiative, which started last year and aims to provide permanent housing for Dallas residents experiencing homelessness. The funds are estimated to serve over 425 homeless people with rent and utilities assistance.
Council Member Cara Mendelsohn said she wanted to defer the item because there was no briefing ahead of the final vote. She said the amount of money spent on the contract deserved a briefing and discussion.
She alleged the funds were being used as "cleanup money" ahead of next year's FIFA World Cup. The tournament is expected to bring in $2 billion and more than 100,000 visitors a day to the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
"It's the creation of a short-term illusion that an issue is solved or doesn't exist," Mendelsohn said.
Jennifer Scripps, president and CEO of Downtown Dallas Inc., said the city needed to prepare its downtown for hosting FIFA visitors and added that housing initiatives needed more support.
Downtown Dallas Inc. has six full-time outreach workers dedicated to assisting with homelessness solutions. Scripps said the funding will help continue moving people off the streets and into shelter.
"We don't see the point in doing outreach if the whole system is not working efficiently to help us manage these cases," Scripps said. "By this funding, you are helping us keep this system humming and, let me tell you, time is of the essence."
But Mendelsohn said the money could be used toward new housing solutions, like tiny home communities and pallet homes. She said it was an insult for the item to not be discussed in the council chambers.
"If we're told the money is needed at this meeting, why didn't anyone know sooner to give the briefing and have a fuller discussion on how to spend the dollars?" Mendelsohn said.
The money comes from the American Rescue Plan Act redevelopment fund and are one-time use funds.
Council members did not hear a briefing on the phase two funds ahead of the meeting, however, City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert said it was discussed extensively during the budget season this year.
Tolbert said the $10 million for the contract was included in the budget and city staff planned to bring it before the council before the end of the year.
The Housing Forward money will help support organizations like The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center, located in downtown.
David Woody III, President and CEO of The Bridge, said the center maintains a minimum of 100 people in its transitional shelter who are housing ready, meaning people who have accessed services, employment, and benefits.
"The Bridge care managers are assisting these guests with finding a housing solution, an exit pathway, they can sustain," Woody said. "Continued funding from the City of Dallas to Housing Forward would translate into creating additional shelter exit pathways."
The funds were approved after a lengthy discussion, with Mendelsohn the lone vote against the item.
Vote on the funds happened months after council members Mendelsohn, Zarin Gracey, Lorie Blair, and Mayor Pro Tem Jesse Moreno met with an outside group to discuss homelessness solutions. The four council members were accused of violating the Texas Open Meetings Act by council members Adam Bazaldua and Paula Blackmon.
Blackmon told KERA that the meeting was to discuss moving The Bridge from downtown to south Dallas near Dallas Executive Airport.
Gracey voted in favor of the funds, but said he wanted to see housing solution services spread throughout all of the districts.
"I think there is a solution that can be derived from all of this, but it's not necessary to hold up funding in order to do that," Gracey said.
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