The City of Dallas is moving forward with the redevelopment of a hotel that sat vacant for years after it was purchased with the intention of turning it into transitional housing for the homeless.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the former Hotel Miramar at 1950 Fort Worth Ave. was purchased by the City in 2020. Roughly $9.5 million of taxpayer money has been directed to the project thus far, which includes the cost of purchasing the facility and renovations.
The former hotel sat vacant for three years before the City’s latest announcement notifying local developers that the project will be moving forward.
A notice of funding availability (NOFA) was issued last week, as reported by Candy’s Dirt. The notice informed developers that the City is accepting applications to develop permanent supportive housing (PSH) at the site.
“The purpose of this NOFA … is to solicit a developer to undertake a PSH project to serve the City’s housing goals and … to operate the facility as PSH,” the notice reads.
The project is set to include a minimum of 40 PSH units with “tenant supportive services.”
While local developers submit applications to the City to take on the project, at least two other facilities in Dallas remain vacant after being purchased by the City for homeless housing.
In December, council members discussed potentially selling a former hospital in Oak Cliff slated for conversion to homeless housing amid frustrations voiced by residents about the project.
Meanwhile, surveys have found that Dallasites continue to be dissatisfied with the state of homelessness, vagrancy, and panhandling throughout the city.
The “one-stop-shop” model, in which housing and an array of supportive services are provided at a single location, has proven successful in San Antonio through the nonprofit Haven for Hope. The model has been credited with a 77% reduction in unsheltered homelessness in the city’s downtown area.
Some local stakeholders are working to bring this model to Dallas after it polled favorably among city residents. However, whether the City of Dallas will support this effort remains to be seen.