Over the last 30 days, 913 homeless service calls were submitted in Dallas, and nearly 100 remain open.
The City’s Office of Homeless Solutions 311 homeless service calls dashboard shows the number and status of such service requests on a rolling 30-day basis.
Many of the open requests are located in Council Member Jesse Moreno’s District 2 and Council Member Omar Narvaez’s District 6.
“They are starting fires during the day and at night. We had to call the fire department last night,” reads one request regarding a homeless encampment in District 2 at 4678 New Water Ln. The request was submitted on May 24.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, fires at homeless encampments have raised concerns among some residents who have been filing service requests with the Office of Homeless Solutions.
“Fires and lights visible at night at this location,” reads a request about a camp at 9798 N Walton Walker Blvd. in District 6. The request was submitted on May 12 and remains “in progress.”
Another request in District 6 cited a potential danger to motorists.
“Homeless encampment is actually [infringing on] the street … it is an ongoing issue … it is getting bigger on the side of the road. It is under the bridge, and cars are having to swerve around it,” reads the submission filed on May 21. The address of concern is 1604 W Northwest Hwy.
DX polling shows that around 75% of Dallas residents think homelessness, vagrancy, and aggressive panhandling are “major” problems in the city. Residents also seem to be generally supportive of Haven for Hope in San Antonio’s “one-stop-shop” homeless services model. The model has been credited with a 77% reduction in unsheltered homelessness in the city’s downtown area.
Some local stakeholders are trying to bring such a model to Dallas. However, it is unclear whether the Dallas City Council will consider the initiative.