After a years-long battle, faith-based nonprofits, churches and other houses of worship can apply to the city to provide temporary shelters for Dallas' homeless during inclement weather.
There’s just one catch: They can’t be in or near downtown.
The decision comes after the City Council late Wednesday approved changes that would allow such organizations to shelter the homeless when cold or hot weather advisories are issued. Organizations that want to help the homeless must apply and be vetted by City Hall.
The city shifted its policies because it had prohibited overnight homeless shelters from operating within a thousand feet of a church.
“It’s a huge win for the city. It’s a huge win for our shelters and communities,” said Chad West, a council member who leads the city’s housing and homelessness committee. “But most importantly, it’s a huge win for our most vulnerable neighbors.”
Under the new rules, inclement weather is defined as an overnight temperature of 36 degrees or below; when there is any amount of freezing rain or ice; or 2 inches or more of snow. Groups and churches may also open their overnight shelter if the temperature reaches or exceeds 90 degrees.
It’s unclear how many houses of worship and nonprofits will apply. The city is expected to launch the application process before Thanksgiving.
If approved, a permit will be good for up to two years.
West, who represents north Oak Cliff and the Bishops Arts District, said his committee will reevaluate the policy in spring.
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Downtown excluded
Council members — in a last-minute change — decided that organizations in and near the city’s central business district would be ineligible to apply for the new permit.
Council members who pushed for this change — going against the wishes of their peers who helped craft the new policy — said too many resources already exist downtown and that it is time for groups in outlying neighborhoods to help the homeless.
“The point isn’t to punish anybody,” said Adam Bazaldua, a council member. “The buffer is an acknowledgment of where the resources already exist.”
After helping with this year’s homelessness count, he said, it became clear to him that the problem is citywide — not just downtown. He said the city and its partners must rethink how they provide services directly to the homeless in the neighborhoods where they live.
Among the organizations that already provide year-round homeless shelters downtown are the Stewpot, Dallas Life and The Bridge.
The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center and other city properties, such as the central downtown library, will continue to be used by the city to house the homeless during inclement weather.
Despite the added exclusion of downtown nonprofits and churches, council members who developed the new process celebrated the hard-fought win.
Council member Cara Mendelsohn, who represents far north Dallas and also sits on the committee that wrote the policy, said she was thrilled the council took this step. But she stressed that while this decriminalizes the charity of churches, the city must lead on providing for the homeless.
Last November, she pushed for the city to offer temporary shelter for the homeless at the convention center during a cold snap.
“I don’t think it is perfect, but it went through an extensive review that improved the ordinance to allow faith communities a safe and easy way to fulfill their mission to serve the homeless," she said in a statement. "It’s important to note this ordinance doesn’t remove the city’s responsibility to provide inclement weather sheltering as needed.”
Nonprofit hamstrung
Homelessness has long vexed the leaders of this city, which has struggled with creating affordable housing, mental health care and other services for people working low-income jobs.
Earlier this year, 4,471 people in the Dallas-area were counted on the annual nationwide census of homelessness. That’s a slight decrease of 1.4% compared to 2019. However, advocates suggest the data is drastically underreported and imprecise.
Wayne Walker, executive director and pastor of OurCalling, a faith-based homeless outreach center south of downtown, has been one of the community leaders pushing for the change.
He began fighting for the council to update its rules after he received a ticket for operating an overnight shelter at his center off of South Cesar Chavez.
He was in support of the proposed policy shifts until the council established the geographical boundary that would prohibit him from opening his doors at night.
“When I read my Bible, Jesus summarizes it best when he said to love God and love your neighbors," he said. “When your elected officials make these sorts of rules, it makes it really challenging to know where our responsibility lies. We have no question who has the ultimate authority."
Despite being ticketed in 2017, Walker has continued to open the center during bad weather. That’s likely to continue this winter, he said.
“We intend — when it freezes — to make sure our friends have a warm space to go," he said. “And when the city does not have enough space, we’ll have to do the right thing.”
Walker said he is worried that churches shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic won’t step up the way Bazaldua hopes. He estimated the city will need at least 1,000 more beds across the city this winter.
Bazaldua said he is thankful for the work Walker and OurCalling has done. And he hopes that Walker will work with other nonprofits and churches throughout the city to help them raise money and establish protocols to help them meet those numbers.
“There is a huge need around this city,” he said.
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