OPINION: I’ve Tracked Homelessness In Downtown Dallas. Here’s Why I Support County Prop A.

For years, I’ve been outspoken about the homelessness problem in Dallas. I’ve questioned the city’s response and whether conditions were improving.

I began independently counting unsheltered people across downtown’s Central Business District.

In February 2024, my count reached 411 people living on downtown streets. On September 28 of this year, we counted just 22. That’s a 95% reduction from the peak and a 79% decline from the same time last year.

These are independent, consistent street-level counts.

As someone who has been critical of Dallas’ response to homelessness, I believe it’s equally important to acknowledge when something is working.

That doesn’t mean we’ve solved the problem. It means we’ve learned how to address it.

For years, I watched people moved from one sidewalk to another and encampments cleared only to return. I kept asking: Where are these people supposed to go?

Our sidewalks cannot continue to serve as waiting rooms for people who need shelter, mental health treatment or addiction services.

I’ve long advocated for a more coordinated approach that brings shelter, mental health treatment and other services to break that cycle.

Housing Forward, Downtown Dallas Inc. and the All Neighbors Coalition, a network of more than 150 public, private and nonprofit organizations working together to address homelessness, have demonstrated the value of a coordinated response that addresses people’s needs instead of simply moving them around.

But what we’ve accomplished downtown remains limited in geographic reach. Other parts of Dallas County lack the resources to achieve similar results.

That’s why I’m supporting Dallas County Proposition A.

There is another reason I believe this deserves serious consideration: the economics. I’m a conservative. I believe government should spend money carefully, demand results and stop funding approaches that aren’t effective.

Consider what happens when a homeless person with serious mental health or addiction issues repeatedly ends up in the county jail or at Parkland Hospital.

By some estimates, those repeated encounters can cost taxpayers as much as $45,000 per person annually. Yet the individual may leave the hospital or jail with no lasting improvement and nowhere to go.

If we can provide treatment, temporary shelter and assistance that helps that person become stable at a fraction of that expense, why wouldn’t we seriously consider it? That’s a practical financial decision, not an ideological one.

I also come at this from the perspective of the hospitality industry.

I’ve watched cities like Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles and San Francisco struggle with homelessness, crime and deteriorating street conditions. The consequences extend well beyond the individuals living on the streets. They affect hotels, restaurants, retailers, employees, residents and the willingness of people to visit and invest.

The value of these businesses depends in part on what is happening outside their front doors. So does the success of a downtown business district.

Dallas has an opportunity to protect the progress we’ve made rather than risk repeating the mistakes of other cities.

Dallas County Proposition A would increase the resources available for street outreach, shelter and transitional assistance, mental health and addiction treatment, and programs that help people move toward independent living.

It would also provide the capacity to intervene before more people end up living on our streets.

For the median homeowner, Proposition A would cost approximately $5 a month. Individuals aged 65 and up with a homestead exemption will not see an increase.

Importantly, I’m supporting this measure because there is a clear plan for how the money will be spent and how results will be measured. The plan establishes specific goals for getting people off the streets, connects funding to performance and keeps oversight with Dallas County. Voters can review the plan for themselves.

Public funding should never be treated as a blank check. I want to know how many people are being helped, whether encampments are disappearing, whether people are getting the treatment they need and whether fewer individuals are repeatedly ending up in our jails and emergency rooms.

And I want those findings made public, whether the news is good or bad.

My independent counts will continue. I have no interest in declaring victory prematurely or excusing poor performance.

But I also won’t ignore the evidence in front of me.

Two years ago, hundreds of people were living on downtown Dallas streets. Today, that number is a small fraction of what it was.

I know because I’ve counted them myself.

I support Proposition A because I believe Dallas County has an opportunity to get its arms around a problem that has gone unresolved for far too long. We have a chance to get more people off the streets, give them somewhere to go and restore the public spaces that belong to all of us.

We should take it.