Dallas Leaders Approve New Approach to Weather Shelters

Just in time for freezing weather on the way, Dallas City Council Members Wednesday approved a new approach to emergency inclement weather shelters.

They appointed the Austin Street Center in Dallas as the inclement weather shelter coordinator.

The Austin Street Center has an expanded 60,000-square-foot location on Hickory Street that opened in June, since the last cold weather event. It can feed and house 450 people a night. An adjacent building that was the old shelter can reopen to house another 350.

But the work will not be done by Austin Street Center alone.

“It’s a collaborative effort. Austin Street is playing a role because we have the facility. We’re doing all the coordination between agencies in the City of Dallas. So, it’s going to take a lot of people staffing up, and a lot of nonprofits are doing that to help us with it,” Austin Street CEO Daniel Roby said.

Austin Street client Cedric McCarty said freezing temperatures are dangerous for homeless people.

“I would suggest you seek shelter. It is going to be cold,” he said.

McCarty said Austin Street has been helping him find a permanent home and is a good choice to manage the inclement weather shelter task.

But he knows many homeless people are reluctant to visit shelters even in a cold snap.

“It's a lot of rules that a lot of people aren't willing to abide by so those that don't are going to be out in the cold,” he said.

The new Dallas plan does not include recreation centers as emergency shelter locations which were proposed several years ago but met strong resistance from neighbors.

The plan does count on Warren United Methodist on Malcolm X Boulevard and Oak Lawn United Methodist on Oak Lawn Boulevard as additional shelter locations.

Then the Dallas Central Library would open if more space is needed, followed by a large shelter at Dallas Fair Park, which was used last winter.

Roby said the need to house homeless people in Dallas has been increasing.

“Over the past 2 years, we've seen a 25% increase in rent. That's really not sustainable in a community like Dallas, especially for those who are already having such a tough time,” he said.

Depending on how cold and how long the cold weather is there could be a great need for housing the large Dallas homeless population.

The City of Dallas is paying more than $2 million for a year of inclement weather sheltering service led by Austin Street.