Ending Unsheltered Homelessness in Dallas

Homelessness is a failure of our society, and nothing highlights this failure more than unsheltered homelessness. This is why (and if you are a regular reader of our e-newsletter and of our blog you know this already) under the leadership of Cindy J. Crain, our President and CEO, we have paid particular attention to this issue. We and our partners have devoted many resources to helping the unsheltered homeless move into sheltered settings, and more importantly, into housing, as soon as possible.

Beyond the personal challenges faced by the unsheltered homeless, large encampments present acute health, safety and legal concerns to those residing there. This is why MDHA developed formal evidence-based guidelines for encampment clearings, in consultation with the City of Dallas, following the clearing of Tent City in April-May of this year. The most important guideline is that a clearing not be initiated, without identifying appropriate placements for at least half of the residents.

Street Outreach Initiative mobile office at the Haskell Encampment

In October, the encampment area located between S. Hill and Haskell Avenues under I-30 was formally closed. MDHA and collaborative partners agreed at the end of September, that the Street Outreach Initiative could reasonably house half of the then population of eighty-two encampment residents, once again, a requirement under the above guidelines. In fact, we and our partners managed to successfully place 45 persons, just above the goal of 41. We continue to engage and work with those who could not be placed.

We encourage you to read more about this specific clearing here on this blog: Housing and Shelter Targets Exceeded as Haskell Encampment Closes; Street Outreach and Case Management Continues. You can read more about this general effort in Cindy's recent piece in the Dallas Morning News: How Dallas is starting to solve its homeless problem, as well as here on this blog: Supportive Services and Assessments Increased at Haskell Homeless Encampment - Racial Inequities Must be Addressed.

Supportive Services and Assessments Increased at Haskell Homeless Encampment – Racial Inequities Must be Addressed

On Tuesday, September 6, 2016, beginning at 9:30 am, the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance and representatives from several homeless service providers will increase supportive services and client needs assessments for residents of the homeless encampment located at I-30 and Haskell in Dallas, Texas. 

Street outreach workers primarily from City Square, Austin Street Center, The Stewpot and Turtle Creek Recovery Center will embark on a “blitz” to methodically assess each person, and document their homelessness, in preparation for moving them into housing, as soon as feasible.

Effective evidence-based street outreach assumes that all persons have strengths and assets, enters into dialogue, figuratively and literally where clients are, and starts the conversation immediately, with a specific question, “What is your housing plan?” Persons are assessed using evidence-based tools, with an eye to facing the practical housing barriers the person faces. The attitude brought to such outreach is key: We are aware, that nearly all persons living unsheltered come from a position of trauma, and are coping with antisocial, destructive and avoidant behaviors. Therefore, we do not judge.

It is important to identify each person’s collateral and most immediate and achievable need, in order to build trust. Case workers must be mindful of the fact that change comes in stages: Some people can move quickly, while others require thoughtful motivational interviews and conversations. Persistence and consistency are key: Follow up, follow up, follow up, with that same question, “What is your housing plan?” Deadlines can be helpful, serving as antagonists to create bias for action, however, the best results depend on the resources available, including time.

To be effective, a ratio of one case manager to ten households is a must, since there is much to do for each person. Case managers must initiate contact, assess and prioritize for service, connect persons with services, staff each case with other relevant agencies, facilitate the development of a housing plan, follow up on said plan, directly assist with barriers to the plan, advocate for the person with other agencies, and document all of this in the Homeless Management Information System.   

It is this type of methodical work that was able to lower the estimated number of individuals experiencing homelessness in the largest encampments in Dallas’ urban core from about 300 to 200 individuals, since the May 2016 closure of the Tent City under the I-45 Bridge. Specifically, 57 persons were housed by CitySquare, 4 moved out of Dallas, 4 others were housed by other entities, 13 entered emergency shelter, and 18 have been fully assessed and prioritized, and are ready to be housed immediately, once housing units open. 

Doing this work, Dallas must come to terms with one more important fact: The persistence of racial inequality stands out in the area of homelessness. African Americans make up 13% of the population, both in the US and Dallas. Across the country, on average, African Americans make up 40% of the homeless population, and 28% of the unsheltered homeless population, which is troubling, in and of itself. However, in Dallas, African Americans make up 67% of the homeless population, and 70% of the unsheltered homeless population! And, unfortunately, true to Chief David Brown’s words on July 8, 2016, this too is one more “societal failure we put… off on the cops to solve.”

As we continue the ongoing work with the unsheltered homeless population, MDHA and its partners will seek to tackle this overrepresentation of African Americans in the homeless population. While no single initiative can end structural racism across all systems, we believe that it is possible to create positive change in attitudes and behaviors that will begin to close the racial gap that has led to the disproportionate prevalence of homelessness among African Americans. We will work to make that happen.

History of Encampment Tent Population Estimates in 2016:  

2016	Jan (PIT)	Feb	March	Apr	May	June	July	Aug	Sept
I45	181	237	221	204	77	0	0	0	0
Haskell	21	22	34	56	62	73	86	92	82
Coombs	24	28	26	41	84	82	73	14	14
Total Tents	226	287	281	301	223	155	159	106	96