By BJ Austin, KERA News
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-792917.mp3
Dallas, TX – "The Bridge," the downtown Dallas homeless assistance center, is six months old this week and has seen twice as many people come through the doors as anticipated. KERA's BJ Austin says officials call it a challenge and a success.
In six months, the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance has served an average of 800 people per day, dished up 2,200 meals each day, seven days a week, enrolled 600 homeless clients in mental health or substance abuse treatment, found 400 jobs for clients of "The Bridge" and put 200 in permanent, supported housing. Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance President Mike Faenza says crime downtown has decreased and there are other ways to measure success, as well.
Faenza: It's worth noting that hundreds of our guests who just needed a brief amount of time, some respect, support and respite from the daily trials of the streets have leveraged The Bridge. They found new hope and confidence to independently move to jobs and move into housing. Sometimes they re-established long, lost connections with their families.
The Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance says it has raised nearly $15 million of its $20 million "private sector" goal to provide support for The Bridge and its programs, including more than $1 million from the Perot family.