What is it that you do, again?

It’s National Hunger and Homelessness Week, which is the perfect time to revisit a question we get every now and then, “What is it that you do, again?” So, here goes:
        

The Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance (MDHA) leads the development of an effective homeless response system that will make the experience of homelessness in Dallas and Collin Counties rare, brief, and non-recurring.

That language is very precise. It is based on Opening Doors, the national strategic plan to end homelessness, commissioned by Congress and the President under the 2009 Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act. MDHA’s statutory authority and five main statutory roles are derived from the Act.

 

Opening Doors

the national strategic plan to end homelessness

We are often asked different variants of the question with which we began, the most common being:
 

• Do you do ______________ (fill in the blank)?
• Why don’t you ______________ (fill in the blank)?

We always answer the question with a question: Will ______________ (fill in the blank) enhance the development of an effective homeless response system that will make the experience of homelessness in Dallas and Collin Counties rare, brief, and non-recurring? If so, count us in. If not, we will have to pass. Now, that doesn’t mean ______________ (fill in the blank) is not important or worthy or vital; often it is. It just means that it is not our role to do it.

Now, that does not mean we won’t discuss those issues. We don’t care how hard or controversial they are, either. We don’t call our ongoing popular learning series Hard Conversations for nothing. However, our angle, every time we pick up a pen or a microphone, always goes back to a variant of that original question: How does discussing and understanding ______________ (fill in the blank) enhance our ability to develop an effective homeless response system that will make the experience of homelessness in Dallas and Collin Counties rare, brief, and non-recurring?

 

Sometimes the answer may be self-evident; that many of us have misconceptions about those experiencing homelessness being a prime example. Other times, we might think it is self-evident, and discover through discussion, that we need to look at the issue in an entirely different light; what really causes homelessness, being a prime example. And other times still, we might not even see the direct connection at first, but the discussion will reveal an important and vital connection; racism and homelessness being a prime example.

This is precisely why we continue to engage in ongoing study. As a learning organization, we are constantly looking at best practices, up to date research, and evidence based solutions. We view everything we come across with a critical eye, as we constantly ask ourselves:

 

• Should we do ______________ (fill in the blank)?
• Shouldn’t we do ______________ (fill in the blank)?

 



It would be easy to say yes every time we ask these questions. If we are to fulfill our mission, however, we must answer these questions with this question: If we take ______________ (fill in the blank) on, will that action enhance our ability to develop an effective homeless response system that will make the experience of homelessness in Dallas and Collin Counties rare, brief, and non-recurring? We must be consistently and ruthlessly honest in our answer, and always act accordingly.

Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week and the Annual Homeless Count

We are a proud partner in National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week, taking place this year November 11-19, 2017. This is a chance to educate our community, draw attention to the problem of homelessness, and recruit new volunteers and supporters for local anti-poverty agencies.
 
During that week, we will launch recruitment for the annual Point-in-Time Homeless Count, which will be on the night of January 25, 2018. Stay tuned, since we will need 1,500(!) volunteers. That means you!   

As part of the City of Dallas' annual It's My Park on Nov 4, 2017, the Elmwood Neighborhood Association is endeavoring to bring awareness to the issue of homelessness. The event starts at 9am at the park on Elmwood between Mountain Creek Lake and Elmwood/Rugged. For more info and/or to volunteer, contact Janet Smith, 214-543-5847, jsmith@aidsdallas.org.
 
Bedstart deliver beds and furnishings to households coming out of crisis. They meet every Saturday morning at 7:45am and are typically done noon. They would love to have new volunteers join the effort. The Bedstart shed is located in the overflow parking lot directly across the street from Custer Road UMC, 6601 Custer Road, Plano, TX, 75023. For more info, contact Doug Nickols, director@bedstart.org.
 
The annual Promise House Sleep Out - A Night Under the Stars is a longstanding and excellent event. This year, it will be held the night of November 9, 2017. Click through for more details.
 
City House will be holding a donation drive on November 11, 2017. Check their Facebook page for details.
 
The City of Dallas Office of Homeless Solutions is holding a Welcome Basket Drive for folks moving into housing. They will be collecting items to build the baskets, November 8-December 8, 2017. Contact Mariah Cross, mariah.cross@dallascityhall.com, for more details.

We Don't Want You to Miss Any of This!

This month there is so much going on, primarily, but not only, related to National Runaway Prevention Month and National Homelessness and Hunger Awareness Week!

The following events are open to the general public (click on the titles for details):
November 6 - Service of Light and Remembrance
November 8 - See Me Now Summit (on youth homelessness)
November 12 - Youth Kickback Party (for youth experiencing homelessness)
November 14 - 2017 Point-in-Time Homeless Count Volunteer Registration Kickoff
November 15 - Special Screening of the Movie Signs of Humanity
November 16 - Summit on Homelessness in Collin County  

November 18 - Hard Conversations: Racism and Homelessness*
November 29 - #GivingTuesday*

And last month was crazy busy too! Hopefully, you know that already, because you follow this blog, and our Facebook and Twitter, but we wanted to make sure that you did not miss two great Flex Fund stories we posted: On the Road Again - with the Help of Austin Street Center and the MDHA Flex Fund and Dana Turns a House into a Home - with the Help of the Dallas Furniture Bank and the MDHA Flex Fund.

See Me Now - Teens without Homes

Bill Zeeble of KERA

As part of the National Coalition for the Homeless and National Student Campaign against Hunger & Homelessness' National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, here in Dallas, the MDHA Youth Committee held its annual See Me Now - Teens without Homes, event to highlight youth homelessness. Bill Zeeble of KERA excelled as the keynote speaker. He highlighted the tireless work of school districts in helping the most vulnerable of those experiencing homelessness, children. Piles of the Dallas Independent School District's homeless outreach program backpacks gave the assembled a real physical representation of the way too high numbers of youth experiencing homelessness in Dallas and Collin Counties.  

Our Friends Place, Resource Center Dallas, CitySquare TRAC, Viola's House, Promise House, CITY House, and Dallas ISD were all well represented at the event. It was led by MDHA Youth Committee Chair, Carla Cleeson of CitySquare TRAC, and its Vice Chair, Sue Hesseltine, of Our Friends Place. Sarah Carroll, of the City of Dallas, and a member of the committee, read an official proclamation by Mayor Mike Rawlings, designating the day of the event as Homeless Youth Awareness Day.

Carla Cleeson, Chair of the MDHA Youth Committee

The highlight of the event every year is the panel of teens, who tell their moving stories, usually still unfolding, about their struggles with homelessness. This year, the panel was particularly diverse, and even included an adult, our good friend, Paloma Belmarez, longtime employee of Promise House. She movingly recounted her journey from typical middle class child through teen experiencing homelessness to helping kids at the same program that helped her.