The Dallas County Commissioners Court heard from a variety of community activists at its latest meeting on Tuesday.
First, the court unanimously passed a resolution recognizing LGBTQ Pride Month in Dallas County. The court endorsed the LGBTQ community’s influence on Dallas County’s economy and culture.
“Be it resolved and ordered that the Dallas County Commissioners Court does hereby celebrate the contributions of the LGBTQ+ Community to our region’s economy and culture and does recognize June as Pride Month in Dallas County,” the resolution read.
The court also passed a resolution recognizing June 20, 2023, as World Refugee Day and heard testimony from community activist and former refugee Mirjana Omeragic.
Omeragic is the senior director of Mosaic Family Services, a nonprofit that “provides culturally and linguistically competent services to refugees and immigrants in crisis,” according to the organization’s website.
Omeragic detailed her own plight as a refugee and told the court that she believes helping refugees is a vital community service. She also revealed that Mosaic Family Services is partnering with Central Market to raise funds for the organization in an ongoing raffle.
Commissioners also heard as Joli Robinson, president of the non-profit organization Housing Forward, presented a power point highlighting the work the organization is doing to provide housing and assistance to homeless Dallasites.
Robinson noted that while the organization works with Dallas City services, it seeks to take a proactive role in handling homeless camps that have not been reported to the City.
“The next encampment we’re going to work on will be in South Dallas … it wasn’t a bunch of 311 calls to go there but it was an understanding from our street outreach workers and others about what we’re seeing in communities. So that’s one of the ways we select those encampment sites moving forward.”
Dallas has long faced a crisis of homelessness and vagrancy, which the City has been unable to meaningfully address. Polling suggests that Dallas residents agree that homelessness and vagrancy are still serious issues facing the City.
A method that has not been attempted in Dallas but that polled favorably among Dallasites is implementing a “one-stop shop” model for homeless services. The approach is in use in San Antonio through a collaboration between the nonprofit Haven for Hope and the city, centralizing homeless services in a single location.
The Dallas County Commissioners Court meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month. The court’s next meeting will take place on June 20.
