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Dallas Turning Hotel Into Homeless Shelter

Dallas Turning Hotel Into Homeless Shelter
The former TownHouse Suites Hotel | Image by Noah DeGarmo, The Dallas Express

Dallas authorities are planning to turn another hotel into housing for the homeless.

Officials have issued a request for proposals to remodel the former TownHouse Suites Hotel, now a municipal property, to be used as “affordable housing” and “permanent supportive housing” (PSH) for those who are “chronically homeless” or vagrant. The property is located at 4150 Independence Dr.

The project uses bond funds and federal taxpayer money from the American Rescue Plan Act and will, according to plans, include 108 units, 20% of which have been delegated as “affordable housing.”

A contract for the project is expected to be granted sometime in April 2023, according to officials from the Office of Homeless Solutions. The city government will oversee the design and construction improvements of the facility.

Additionally, Dallas County will contribute $6.5 million from American Rescue Plan Act funds and provide input on the administration of remodeling.

The City purchased the hotel in February for $5 million using funds from a $1.05 billion bond package approved by voters in 2017, making it the fourth hotel acquired for the purpose of providing “homeless services.” This despite evidence accumulating in other cities over the past few years that ‘Housing First’ policies do not address the root cause of homelessness, and that homelessness has soared in the past few decades of ‘Housing First’ as a federal policy.

Of the bond package, $20 million is allocated to pay for homeless housing.

Another $2.8 million is slated to help buy and renovate two other hotels: 40 units at the Hotel Miramar on Fort Worth Avenue in Kessler Stevens and 50 rooms at the Candlewood Suites on Preston Road in Far North Dallas.

Additionally, the City spent $3.3 million on renovating the former Gateway Hotel on Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway in North Dallas into the 180-unit St. Jude Center Park-Central.

Unfortunately, in addition to concerns about ‘Housing First’ policies, this approach also spreads out where the truly homeless are and may take the City further away from adopting a successful single focal point of service model such as that adopted by San Antonio’s Haven for Hope program.

The need for the City to properly address what Mayor Johnson has called the “scourge of homelessness” has become more urgent as some businesses in developing areas have resorted to using private security to protect themselves from vagrants, while other businesses have been pushed out of those areas entirely.

The City of Dallas has made clear that giving money to panhandlers does not address their real needs, and in fact can harm those individuals by preventing them from getting help.

“Giving spare change without offering support could make matters worse,” the City explained, suggesting people direct their donations to City services instead.

Dallas’ less-than-fruitful efforts to shut down the multitude of homeless and vagrant encampments overtaking its public spaces have been further complicated by the intervention of self-identified anti-fascist armed activists.

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22 Comments

  1. Margaret

    Why is Hotel Miramar vacant?

    Reply
  2. Tim

    Who will be managing this ‘hotel’ now homeless shelter? Where is the money coming from to remodel…would think Dallas taxpayers. There will be no doubt issues with drug/alcohol use, as a lot of homeless seek shelters during cold / incliment weather, but do not want to give up their drugs/alcohol. Deal with this on a daily basis, and while there will be those who DO want to get off the streets, more than not do not want to give up their way of living.

    Reply
    • Dick Smith

      Where there are drug users, you’ll find drug dealers. It’s my guess the dealers will soon “manage” the properties. They’ll most likely then turn to politics, do they can greatly reduce the chances of punishment for their behavior.

      Reply
      • X X

        Correct

        Reply
    • phyllis byrd

      This is exactly why my 66.year old brother is homeless. He refuses to live by any rules. He rathet spend his money on drugs than pay rent and has said this.

      Reply
  3. Thomas

    There must be political reasons Dallas cannot learn from the success of San Antonio’s Haven for Hope. One can only assume homelessness, like covid, is something liberals think we need to go through, so they can establish their “benevolent” rule over us.

    Reply
  4. John Gault

    The idea of “Housing First” is a huge mistake. As anyone on the Dallas City Council ever hear of a town in California named Los Angeles? The citizens there taxed themselves 2 Billion dollars over the next ten years to solve their homelessness problem four years ago and it’s only gotten worse. Reason #1, that nobody wants to talk about is the fact that the so called nonprofit organization that magically spring up to manage these projects used 80 to 90 percent of the money for administrative costs that really mean their paying themselves and their friends huge fat salaries for doing next to nothing. Therefore only about 10% of the funds, if that much are used towards the projects intended to solve the problem. Los Angeles has been fighting homelessness for over 20 years and everything they have done including housing in confiscated properties has not worked. Why hasn’t it worked you may ask? Simple. You cannot take a person with addiction or mental health problems directly from the streets into a home where they are expected to manage that newfound shelter properly. Many homeless do not want to live in a managed property because they do not want to follow the rules imposed on them by living there. Better ask the Dallas City Council what sort of rules will be placed on the tenants of this property if they are to live there. Next step in housing could be providing drugs and alcohol to the residents like they have done in San Francisco. That’s the only way they would stay in the housing that was provided to them for free. What your city to turn into San Francisco, just keep adopting the woke policies of California politicians and you’ll be there in no time.

    Reply
  5. Bill

    The best thing to do about homelessness is nothing. If you make it easy and comfortable you will get more homelessness. As long as you are willing to give something away for free there will be endless hands reaching out for that something.

    Reply
    • CAROLINE

      It’s people like you ,don’t have a clue about being homeless.1ST ALL I WORKED 33 YRS OF MY LIFE, I HAVE BEEN HOMELESS FOR ABOUT A YR NOW. YOU SAIDED DONT MAKE IT EASY FOR THE HOMELESS, DID YOU KNOW YOUR LIFE CAN RIGHT THIS MINASIM TEXTING & YOU MY FRIEND CAN BECOME HOMELESS, SO MY ADVICE TO YOU IS DONT JUDGE UNLESS YOU ARE PERFECT SO KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT,CAUSE BEING HOMELESS IS NOT EASY THANK YOU CAROL

      Reply
      • Bill

        Helping the homeless makes more homeless people. I have a friend who is homeless now and he also worked his entire life. His problem isn’t a lack of a work ethic. His problem is that he is crazy and stupid and pairs that with a sense of entitlement where he believes he is owed housing, healthcare, money, and whatever else he wants despite never having really earned it. He was a huge Beto supporter.

        Reply
      • X X

        Charity always exists to help those truly seeking assistance. And there are plenty of jobs at all strata of society.

        Homelessness is 95% crime and drug (legal and illegal) related. Can’t be fixed by throwing money at addicts.

        Reply
  6. Candi

    So this had to be done in Duncanville off of 20 and Camp Wisdom? It contradicts rebuilding the Red Bird/Southwest Center Area.

    There are schools and apartments in that area with kids. Jobs are limited. There are no major resources in the area. The only positive is that there are tons of churches and a bus line. Christians don’t fool with the homeless as they should.

    That hotel was known for Prostitution and drugs. They didn’t think that through. The money they used to purchase the hotel could have been provided to eligible families to avoid homelessness.

    Put it on Mockingbird and 35.

    Reply
  7. Lanie

    The one thing that stands out to me is that the money was approved in 2017. It is almost 2023 and they are just now starting to do something with the money. Why on earth does it take this City so long to start projects with approved bond money.

    Reply
    • Bill

      It took the Dallas politicians that long to figure out how to skim their “Fair Share” of the money off of the top of the project. There’s a reason a bunch of former Dallas politicians are sitting in federal prison.

      Reply
    • Anna Williams

      They have made interest off the money. What you want to know, is show the citizens where do the interest go? Just asking!

      Reply
  8. Tim Van Slyke

    Giving the homeless a room to get out of the weather is commendable but does not address the route cause. There are so many good jobs available, however…..the mental, emotional damage done to these souls slipped the thru “societal cracks” or was not what “they”
    wanted.

    No Intervention would or will not be requested in a majority of these souls. Mental Health has always been…………….. “snap out of it,….whats wrong with you?“. “hide it!” …or….., that’s not “my problem”.(neglect it… it will go away!).…..Societal approach for this current dilema is as old as human kind itself

    Neglect is dishonorable,.however accepted. “It is NOW at pandemic levels”

    One Flew Over the Cukoo Nest ring a bell?

    I am a “conservative” (yeah labels don’t help either)

    The answers will consume future generations way more than the current dilemma. It is going to escalate to a point of breaking down of society world wide. We are on the cusp of a “humanitive shift”…. No less than what happened with the fall of organized society [Rome / Bizantine era that ushered in the “Dark Ages!”

    A Major Shift is upon us.

    Eff Climate Change!!, This “ball of beauty…aka…earth” will continue to live.Think dinosaurs, multiple ice ages, drought, deluge, fires, volcanic activity, et al.Our Hubris is laughable.

    Whether or not humanity is part of it is not written yet.

    This is a bandaid on an aortic puncture.

    Reply
  9. Regina Volson

    I believe a homeless hotel shelter is wonderful as long as they set up rules and put them in place like the shelter call Providence house in Louisiana. They should also have them go to work, take counseling classes come have chores around the shelter, Make sure those that don’t have a GED recieve a diploma, and those that do not get work in three weeks try a trade or two year education. Also , create a savings account that the shelter is over so after the complete there levels at the shelter they can help them with there apartments for three months than they graduate. This is a nonprofit organization. And everything you do does not have to help those that are on drugs. That is what they have rehab for . The shelter is for those people who lost there way or could not afford rent due to different events in life. Please be kind . Help your STATE to be more attentive and effective in Society. I want to do this since 2014 but have not had the means to do . Thank you who is every doing this project. I would love to be apart and help anyway I can.

    Reply
  10. Brenda

    Way to Go Dallas

    Reply
  11. Charlie

    Haven for Hope in San Antonio is an emergency shelter for individuals and families in crises. Its mission is to offer overnight shelter and stabilization services as an alternative to living and sleeping in cars, in encampments and on the streets. It is very valuable work but it doesn’t end homelessness. Only finding a new home ends homelessness. San Antonio, like most every large city in the country utilizes Housing First practices to transition those experiencing homelessness from their housing crisis in shelter and on the streets to long term housing stability. Cities use Housing First practices because countless studies have proven their effectiveness at re-housing homeless individuals more rapidly, less expensively and with higher rates of long term housing stability. While some cities have better organization and execution of Housing First practices than others, the most significant barrier they face in reducing homelessness is not Housing First, but rather the rapidly growing scarcity and cost of affordable rental housing units.The City of Dallas is to be commended for investing in more supportive housing units that can truly end homelessness for those fortunate enough to gain access to them.

    Reply
  12. Kim

    The questions is what is homeless? As someone has stated. All homeless is not just drugs and alcohol, that sometime comes into play when a person has work their entire life and by some mishap whether it is financially or health or have to get out of a bad situation becomes homeless. As a country or state we have mental illness from the best of us and it our duty to help in any way we can those of us who so call healthy. That is all have to say

    Reply
  13. Fed Up With Dallas County

    ““Giving spare change without offering support could make matters worse,” the City explained, suggesting people direct their donations to City Services instead.”

    While I agree with the first half of this statement donating to Dallas’ City Services sounds like donating to a black hole.

    Reply
  14. X X

    Dallas will become Austin and then LA. It’s only a matter of time. Terrible. And time to move.

    Reply

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