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City Council Approves $6.5 Million Purchase of Hospital to Help Homeless

Dallas South Hampton Community Hospital
Dallas South Hampton Community Hospital | Image by The Dallas Morning News

The $6.5 million purchase of Dallas South Hampton Community Hospital is slated to help the homeless, following a not-quite-unanimous vote by the Dallas City Council.

The 111-bed acute-care facility was formerly owned and abandoned by Houston-based University General Health System.

Occupying twelve acres, the property is located at 2929 South Hampton Road in South Oak Cliff, near an elementary school, a city library, single-family homes, a senior living apartment complex, and Kiest Park.

The singular dissenting vote was cast by Council Member for District 4 Carolyn King Arnold.

Councilwoman King Arnold expressed being blindsided, contending that South Oak Cliff community members should have been better informed by the city of its plan prior to entertaining votes on the purchase: “This is not the proper use for a community that has been begging for equity. This would not be equity in the North.”

Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax is reported to have articulated that the action was not covert, asserting it is a common practice for the city to privately manage real estate deals and only disclose the details of those deals after they are thoroughly established and vote-ready.

Broadnax’s Chief of Staff, Kimberly Tolbert, made assurances that the city would execute its due diligence in gathering insights from residents to help precisely specify how the purchase would best serve people experiencing homelessness in the South Oak Cliff community.

The facility will not provide emergency shelter services, Tolbert said.

One such resident, Darryl Baker, agrees with Councilwoman King Arnold. He told The Dallas Morning News, “There is no trust. This is an opportunity for Dallas to actually act and perform like a world-class city and do this particular process out in the open. The city does not have a good track record in this particular arena, especially in our part of town.”

Councilman Chad West disagrees.

He supports the intended purpose of the purchase, believing that homeless services should not cause friction in a neighborhood but should be seen as bettering the community.

“It’s not stopping or hurting commercial development in our area,” the Councilman declared.

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