Charles William is a Dallas artist who lost his home in 2020 — and had been living around the city's library since.
Now, he’s one of the more than 100 people who's been provided housing in the city's latest program tackling homeless encampments.
He said while not everyone in encampments offered housing will accept it, the new program Street-To-Home can be a starting point for many.
“This program may be…a middle [point] that will help people transition from the street to a house — because that middle [point] is lonely," Williams said. "And people don't know how to react to that."
The city held a press conference on Monday to share results of their Street-To-Home program, which is focused on providing permanent housing for unsheltered residents.
The program started in July. It's a partnership that also includes the All Neighbors Coalition, a collaboration of 150 organizations in Dallas and Collin Counties focused on ending homelessness. The homeless services nonprofit Housing Forward led the effort.
Sarah Kahn, Housing Forward's CEO, said $30 million has been invested into the project since it started. Funding came from various sources, including Dallas Housing Authority, North Texas Behavioral Health Authority, The Community Foundation of Texas, and Downtown Dallas, Inc.
Since then, more than 100 unsheltered people have been provided long-term housing.
But, she said, this is only the completion of the first phase and that more needs to be done.
“When we see people suffering on sidewalks, suffering behind buildings or in tents across our city, this is unacceptable,” Kahn said. “And as a community, we need to ensure that no one is sleeping outside.”
Now, they want the overall homelessness population to decrease by 50% in the next two years based on 2021 statistics.
Along with finding housing for those groups of people, the program focused on closing three encampment zones around the city: the downtown library, a lot across from Dallas City Hall between Young and Canton Street, and an embankment lining Interstate 30 between Canton and Griffin Street. The last zone closed this past weekend.
These zones were chosen based on areas with highest number of people living outside for the longest periods of time.
Dallas Interim City Manager Kimberly Tolbert said between January and July, Dallas Police received more than 100 service calls within the three zones. Since the closures, there’s been three calls.
“I vowed that we would be accountable, that we would be responsive and transparent, “To build trust and truly deliver on our commitment to service first with an urgency of now," Dallas Interim Manager Kimberly Tolbert said. "This initiative is all about living up to that promise.”
Kahn said they also plan to integrate behavioral healthcare services as the city ensures encampment areas remain clear.
More than 12,000 people experiencing homelessness in Dallas and Collin counties have been housed since 2021, according to the All Neighbors website. Both counties have seen a decrease in homelessness since then, despite an increase nationwide.
A KERA project is focusing on the city’s initiatives on moving people from encampments into long-term housing.
This year’s annual count found 3,718 people experiencing homelessness in Dallas and Collin counties on a single night in January. Housing Forward said it was a 19% reduction in overall homelessness since 2021. Last year, there were 4,244 unhouse people in the two counties, a 12% overall decrease.
Their reports also found different unsheltered homeless populations decreased since last year. Veteran homelessness dropped 21%, youth homelessness decreased by 22% and family homelessness decreased by 15%.
Kahn said the program plans to house other unsheltered residents throughout the city in existing zones. They’re currently looking to see what next three zones are experiencing the highest numbers of people living outside but are keeping those areas confidential until after the operation is finished. Housing Forward plans to have those encampments closed by the end of the year.
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