Dallas Housing and Homelessness Solutions Committee Meeting - September 22, 2026

On September 22, 2026, the Housing and Homelessness Solutions Committee met to receive two major briefings: an update on the Dallas is Home housing policy framework and an overview of the Dallas Street Response (DSR) and City Action Strike Team (CAST). Committee Chair Blair opened the meeting at 9:09 a.m. The minutes from August 24, 2026, were approved unanimously.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of the August 24, 2026, Housing and Homelessness Solutions Committee Meeting Minutes. Motion passed without objection.

Discussion Items

Update on Dallas is Home (Briefing Item A)

Thor Erickson, Director of the Office of Housing and Community Empowerment, and Deputy Director James Armstrong presented the Dallas is Home framework. The proposed policy aims to positively impact 55,000 households over five years by addressing the full housing continuum—from homelessness response to homeownership. The approach is organized around seven pillars: expanding housing choice through production, citywide preservation, improving housing stability, expanding fair access, infrastructure alignment, and collaboration/community engagement. Staff emphasized using baseline data, common definitions, and separating city-supported results from broader market activity.

Committee members raised several points:

• Councilmember Bazett (District 7) questioned why his district was listed only as “supporting” for production despite vacancy and infill opportunities. He urged cross-referencing with city-owned lot data and requested a full cost estimate before adoption. He also stressed transparency in site selection for shelter beds and avoiding siloed decision-making.
• The Vice Chair asked for a definition of “housing stability” and whether missing targets would trigger corrective actions. Staff defined it as households paying less than 30% of income on housing, with additional services for vulnerable populations. They described a red/yellow/green monitoring system for contracts.
• Councilmember (Chair Blair) expressed concern about districts resisting services and noted the goal of one service per district has not been met. She also requested a fair housing dashboard and linking fair housing assessments in agenda items.
• Councilmember Willis (District 13) praised the granular district breakdown but questioned the absence of District 13 in expiration reviews. She highlighted the Vickery Meadow area and supported the faith-based land initiative, asking for a comprehensive approach including Dallas College.
• Councilmember Gracie (District 4) questioned how the housing policy translates into planning and zoning decisions, noting that preferences sometimes block housing. She also asked about preservation for poorly managed properties and noted District 4 was missing from the infrastructure alignment list.

Staff committed to refining the data, providing a fair housing memo in October, and returning to committee in October, November, and December with deeper dives into pillars. The policy is expected to go to City Council in January 2027.

Dallas Street Response and City Action Strike Team Overview (Briefing Item B)

Kevin Oden, Director of Emergency Management and Crisis Response, and Program Administrator Andrew Rolo presented an overview of DSR and CAST. The model distinguishes between person-centered outcomes (housing, treatment) and place-based outcomes (site cleanup and closure). Key statistics:

• DSR managed 8,500 service requests in the current period, a 28.6% reduction from the prior period (12,000).
• 82% of encampment requests were addressed within five days.
• In August 2026, 139 encampments were verified from 311 requests; 196 locations were unverified.
• Outreach engagements totaled 1,833 in August, with a 25% resource referral acceptance rate.
• 61% of cleared grids remained closed for 30 days.
• In downtown, all identified encampments were permanently closed and street homelessness declined by more than 80%.
• CAST intervened at more than 150 hotspots with 1,300 targeted interventions (June–September 2026). Crime incidents near CAST locations declined by 20.4%.

Committee members raised significant concerns:

• Councilmember Gracie noted a shift of encampments from public to private property and asked about the process for private land.
• Councilmember Willis asked about firearm safety during cleanings and whether individual tracking (HMIS) is used. Staff said names are not collected in Salesforce due to PII concerns, but partners use HMIS when people are placed.
• Councilmember Mendelson strongly criticized the data, stating it does not match on-the-ground realities. She cited long-standing encampments that remain unresolved and argued that camping on public land is illegal and inhumane to leave people outside. She asked for a memo on total outreach engagements in FY26.
• Councilmember Bazett challenged the 61% closure rate, noting that 39% reopen within 30 days. He argued the model shows success by displacement, not solutions. He also questioned the 25% referral acceptance rate without knowing how many individuals were contacted repeatedly. He called for more granular, personalized data and urged the city to adopt best practices from other jurisdictions.
• Chair Blair suggested using fictitious numbers or service request tracking if HMIS cannot be used for PII reasons. She requested a more comprehensive state of homelessness presentation that includes partners (code, DPD, community courts).

Staff acknowledged the feedback and committed to presenting a more complete picture in the upcoming state of homelessness briefing.

Upcoming Agenda Items (Items C–H)

Brief discussion of several items on upcoming City Council agendas:

• Item E: Contract renewal with Bridge (The Bridge) for facility management services. Staff noted a redline correction for funding amount ($5,147,500).
• Item F: Rapid rehousing contract with the Bridge. Councilmember Mendelson asked for verification of how many clients remain housed.
• Item D: Supportive services for seniors experiencing homelessness via Catholic Charities. Councilmember Mendelson questioned why general fund money is used instead of Housing Forward funds.
• Item G: Development of University Hills (420 mixed-income units, only 2.8% three-bedroom). Councilmember Willis asked about the low number of family-sized units. Staff explained it is part of a larger master plan with additional three-bedroom units in a neighboring HFC project.
• Staff promised to provide answers before the respective council dates.

Key Outcomes

• The committee accepted the briefings but expressed significant concerns about data completeness and the need for more personalized tracking of homeless individuals.
• Staff will provide a more detailed state of homelessness presentation in October, including granular metrics and partner involvement.
• The Dallas is Home policy will be further developed with monthly committee updates (pillars one and two in October) and a goal for council adoption in January 2027.
• Upcoming agenda items were noted; no votes were taken during the committee meeting.