More homeless service requests have been closed in Council Member Cara Mendelsohn’s District 12 in Far North Dallas over the last 30 days than in any other Dallas City Council district.
According to the City’s Office of Homeless Solutions 311 homeless service calls dashboard, which shows the number and status of service requests on a rolling 30-day basis, 107 of District 12’s 109 service requests were closed as of April 28. Only two remain, one of which is marked “in progress.”
The latest service request in the council district reads, “They pitch tent because rainfall makes white rock creek rise. If they are dispersed they then drop back down and live in greenbelt against our neighbors and adjacent to Ruth’s Chris restaurant. Defecating and destroying our properties and their values. They also panhandle … at Trinity Mills and Briargrove.”
Council Member Jesse Moreno’s District 2 had the second-most closed service requests at 81, however, there are seven requests in progress and nine new submissions.
One request regarding 1362 Marilla St. reads, “Dallas police Memorial Park area is turned into a homeless encampment.”
Another reads, “As of today (4/26/24), it appears the City has picked up trash on the curb along Denton [Drive], but the tent encampment remains at the back of the lot. Observed one individual (female) walk out under the influence of something, stagger, and settled on a porch of a home across the street. Observed another individual walking out, and three more walking up Denton with a shopping cart loaded with items.”
As previously reported by DX, a number of service requests last week noted that fires have been observed at some of the city’s numerous homeless encampments, posing potential hazards.
“While trash fires don’t typically cause much harm, their proximity to structures and other combustibles can make them more dangerous than anticipated,” Dallas Fire-Rescue previously told DX.
Polling conducted by DX indicates that some 75% of Dallas voters believe homelessness, vagrancy, and aggressive panhandling continue to be “major” problems. Respondents also appeared to be generally supportive of the “one-stop-shop” homeless services model used by Haven for Hope in San Antonio. The model has been credited with a 77% reduction in unsheltered homelessness in the city’s downtown area.
Some local stakeholders are looking to bring the model to Dallas. However, whether the Dallas City Council will support the initiative remains unclear.