NBA player Harrison Barnes is giving Dallas $30,000 to help house people experiencing homelessness. The gift will be used by the theCity of Dallas Office of Homeless Solutions (OHS) Fund at the Communities Foundation of Texas to help about two dozen people gain permanent housing.
Barnes is a forward for the Sacramento Kings, but he played for the Dallas Mavericks from 2016 until he was traded to the Kings in 2019. He said in a statement that he and his wife were moved to make their donation after watching last month's winter storm ravage Dallas.
“It was disheartening for my wife Brittany and I to watch the devastation happening in Dallas — a place dear to our hearts — due to inclement winter weather,” Barnes said in a statement. “We believe providing a safe transition to this vulnerable population with sustainable options through this partnership is the pathway to their exit from homelessness.”
Thousands of people in the city regularly sleep on the streets, in their cars, abandoned buildings and in homeless shelters. Even more families and individuals double or triple up in the homes of family or friends when they can’t afford adequate housing or move into extended stay hotels.
The Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance has seen a sizable increase in newly homeless people, with roughly 165 additional people each month entering the homeless services network during the pandemic compared to the same months last year.
During last month’s deep freeze, more than 1,000 people experiencing homelessness were temporarily sheltered at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.
“With the closure of the emergency inclement weather shelter, this generous gift will allow OHS and its nonprofit service provider partners to continue rapidly rehouse our most vulnerable neighbors,” said City of Dallas Chief of Staff Kimberly Bizor Tolbert.
Community members can support the city’s rapid rehousing efforts by donating to the City of Dallas Homeless Solutions Fund at Communities Foundation of Texas.
Got a tip? Christopher Connelly is KERA's One Crisis Away Reporter, exploring life on the financial edge. Email Christopher at cconnelly@kera.org.You can follow Christopher on Twitter @hithisischris.
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