The City is seeking a designation from the federal government that states that veteran homelessness has effectively been ended in Dallas.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, there has been a documented spike in homelessness and vagrancy in Texas over the last couple of years. However, a 2023 PIT count in Dallas and Collin counties logged a 4% decrease in overall homelessness.
“I fully expect us within the next few months or by the end of the year at the latest to receive that designation that we have effectively ended homelessness for veterans in the city of Dallas,” said Council Member Chad West (District 1), according to the Dallas Observer.
Such designations are issued through the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, which maintains criteria under which a jurisdiction can be said to have ended veteran homelessness.
“I have met quite a few veterans that will openly talk about suffering from PTSD from various tours overseas, usually,” West told the Dallas Observer. “And it is a real problem, which I’ve been informed has led to homelessness after a series of other problems in their lives.”
The council member explained that there are more resources available to homeless veterans, which may have played a factor in the reported increase in veterans entering emergency shelters and getting into transitional housing.
Still, some City officials have questioned the accuracy of the measurements being used to gauge homelessness. Council Member Jesse Moreno (District 2), for instance, expressed doubts about the PIT count. He said during a recent meeting that the count is “not fully an accurate depiction” of homelessness.
“I question a lot of our [PIT] count numbers,” he said. “The decreases that we’re seeing overall [in the data] — it’s not what I’m seeing each and every single day in my community.”
Polling conducted by The Dallas Express has found that more than three-quarters of Dallas residents remain dissatisfied with the state of homelessness, vagrancy, and panhandling in their neighborhoods and throughout the city.
As DX has previously reported, the “one-stop shop” homeless services model used by Haven for Hope has been credited with a 77% reduction in unsheltered homelessness in downtown San Antonio. Some local stakeholders are now working to bring the model to Dallas as it has polled favorably among city residents. However, it is unclear whether local officials will support the effort.
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