Homeless encampments at vacant properties owned by building developers are “driving the neighbors crazy” in North Oak Cliff, according to the neighborhood’s City Council member.
Developers had purchased four properties in the Bishop Arts District that remain vacant and uncared for, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
The properties at 111, 115, 117, and 119 West Eighth Street have attracted crime, homelessness, and vagrancy, to the dismay of community members.
The locations are owned by West Eighth Street Townhomes and D&D Capital LLC, according to the Dallas Central Appraisal District.
Dallas City Council Member Chad West of District 1, where this neighborhood lies, spoke with The Dallas Express about the crisis of homelessness and vagrancy in these locations and the alleged failure of the owners to properly care for the properties.
“We have had, according to neighbors, some homeless individuals who have been [at the vacant lots],” West confirmed.
“However, there’s also been drug users that are not necessarily homeless,” he added. “People who are going there because it’s a vacant unsecured property and it’s a place [where] they can do illegal activities.”
West told The Dallas Express that this issue is “driving the neighbors crazy.”
He claimed that “until about a year-and-a-half ago,” these properties were “well-cared-for homes,” but the two aforementioned companies that purchased the four lots failed to maintain or secure them, opening the door for homelessness and crime to invade the neighborhood.
“If you have an absentee owner who is not taking care of their property, it’s just going to be a magnet for criminal activity,” said West.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, City staff from the Office of Homeless Solutions (OHS) and Code Compliance examined the properties on Monday.
Jennifer Brown, a public information officer for the City of Dallas, sent statements to The Dallas Express from the two departments about the vacant lots.
The OHS confirmed that staff visited the location on Monday but “did not find anyone at the property.”
“Per neighbors the staff spoke to, the individuals who appeared to be homeless were at the property on [April 30],” reads the statement, adding that the OHS will “engage with individuals at the location and offer services including shelter” while Code Compliance works with the property owners to address the litter strewn about the lots.
Code Compliance confirmed that 117 and 119 West Eighth Street were reported to have litter, debris, and homeless encampments.
The department told The Dallas Express that “staff received a concern” about the homeless encampments at 119 West Eighth Street.
The resident who reported the concern said “that the lack of involvement by the property owner is aiding in the condition of the location,” according to Code Compliance.
“Staff has conducted several inspections at the location and found violations that include high weeds [and] litter,” the statement continued. “We have contacted the owner [who] states that he is aware of the unsheltered individuals at the property and is making arrangements to … keep them from returning to the location.”
The department said staff members could “execute a warrant to perform a clean-up” because the property has received “a valid notice of violation” following structural violations and the property owner’s failure to make “necessary repairs” to windows and doors.
Code Compliance also said it would perform a “heavy clean” at 117 and 119 West Eighth Street, which will be re-inspected in the coming weeks.
Council Member West added that there is no justification for having homeless encampments in the area because there are “enough shelter beds in the City” for everyone living on the street.
“It’s just a matter of convincing them to go to the shelter beds and then actually getting them into housing after that,” West claimed.
“Convincing them that they need to comply with the requirements,” is vital, said West. He specified that these requirements include addressing substance abuse and working towards employment “with the goal of getting back to society as a productive, working, tax-paying citizen.”
“Helping the homeless individuals get out of the encampment life is really at the core of the homelessness efforts,” the council member told The Dallas Express.
One alternative to the encampments that have popped up across Dallas is the method modeled by Haven for Hope in San Antonio, which concentrates services for the homeless in a single geographic area. Polling conducted by The Dallas Express indicates that a majority of Dallas residents support such a model, though it has not yet been seriously considered by the City.
One of the co-owners of the North Oak Cliff properties, Andrew Strange of West Eighth Street Townhomes, previously told NBC 5 DFW that they are “pulling demolition permits” and cleaning the lots “due to the homeless issues.”
However, he also claimed that development has not yet begun on these properties because the developers are seeking “entitlements” such as tax breaks from the City government before starting work on the properties.
Council Member West said the developers should not assume they will receive entitlements from the City but should do a better job communicating with residents, per NBC 5.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, housing development throughout Dallas has stalled due to the commercial building permit backlog that has built up under City Manager T.C. Broadnax’s leadership.
Council members recently expressed frustration over the slow and highly regulated building process that contributes to the ongoing housing shortage and homelessness crisis throughout Dallas.