Dallas could be in a time crunch as the the world waits to see FIFA World Cup events start in North Texas within a month — and some officials who'd like to see more encampments of unhoused people go away may be disappointed.
Strategies that effectively dismantle established, larger-scale encampments of unhoused people sometimes take up to 8 weeks to decommission.
That's a tight timeline for Dallas County officials who want streets and areas dedicated to FIFA-related use to look tidy or pristine.
FIFA World Cup matches begin June 11, but the International Broadcast Center opens at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in 2-3 weeks, according to the North Texas FWC Organizing Committee.
The Dallas Host City Media Center opens June 8 in the convention center, with other related events at Fair Park and in the Cotton Bowl.
Housing Forward president and CEO Sarah Kahn said Monday during a media event that a 'street to home' effort that started in July 2024 has since reduced downtown Dallas daily street counts by 89% and permanently resolved encampments throughout that area.
"So we're taking that proof point and expanding that across the county during FIFA," she said.
"Our Dallas commitment to ending street homelessness began long before we were named as a host city. And we understand that local government is under a lot of pressure to kind of manage and revitalize our public spaces. And what we've been working with the city and the county to do is avoid putting money into short term fixes."
That 2024 initiative combined homeless response, mental health providers and law enforcement to target streets where they were most needed.
The idea was to quickly connect people to shelter and treatment options that support permanently moving off the streets.
Because that strategy has worked well, according to metrics, it should continue, not be traded for quick fixes, Kahn said.
"Often when we see cities preparing for large events, we see cities investing millions of dollars in temporary solutions," she said. "But what that means is putting up a temporary shelter, bringing hundreds of people inside, only to let them back onto the streets after the games are over. That's not a good outcome for anyone. ...the FIFA strategy actually builds on proven models that were tested and deployed."
Dallas County Commissioners and the Dallas City Council in January approved giving Housing Forward $10 million each.
For Commissioner Elba Garcia, that funding came with a request for action.
She asked for a strategy and timeline to shelter people before the FIFA World Cup arrives.
"What is the plan for the next four months?" she asked. "As you all mentioned FIFA in our briefing, I don't see any information and I didn't see information either on Commissioner [Andy] Sommerman's briefing."
Kahn said Monday that the city and county contracts for the $20 million were executed in March and that money is "rolling out now."
She said that money helps support an extra 1,200 to 2,000 people this year.
"We subcontract to eight different agencies to deliver the actual services on the ground," she said.
Those services include coordinating mental health care access, rental assistance, case management and behavioral health care services.
About $8 million in private funding helps plug holes that public funding doesn't meet.
Kevin Oden, City of Dallas Office of Emergency Management and Crisis Response director, said FIFA coming to North Texas will not change the procedure his team has practiced for years.
Other previous host countries might have "bulldozed them out of the way," but Dallas plans to continue its more humane and effective good seeds that Housing Forward team has planted.
Oden said that not all encampments take 4 to 8 weeks to house residents and clean the public space.
Most are simple cleanups with light debris and litter and other small ones self-resolve.
"As it relates to to FIFA and the sites in Dallas where FIFA events will be taking place there's no urgency or push or stress on me or my team to clear sites specific to that event going on," he said.
"It's routine business and service request before, during, and then again after the FIFA events — as it would be whether we didn't have FIFA coming to town. We'd be serving those same areas as we always do. "
Ogden said if unsheltered people want to go to Fan Fest at Fair Park, then get a free ticket and go to Fan Fest.
They're not deciding who or what should or shouldn't be in a location.
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