Homelessness in Dallas, Collin counties down for fifth consecutive year

Homelessness across Dallas and Collin counties has fallen for the fifth straight year, even as advocates warned Thursday that the progress could stall without a major new funding source.  

Housing Forward CEO Sarah Kahn said homelessness in the two counties has dropped 23% over the last five years, including an 87% decline in street homelessness in downtown Dallas since September 2024. 

The update from the nonprofit comes amid business and political debates after AT&T announced it was moving its headquarters to Plano, citing safety concerns. Gov. Greg Abbott later blamed the city’s failure to “contain a homeless problem” downtown for the company’s exit. 

Kahn used the organization’s annual State of Homelessness Address at the Winspear Opera House to highlight its recent gains and to push for long-term public funding.  

She has endorsed a proposal before the Dallas County Commissioners Court to raise property taxes, funding roughly $100 million for homelessness services and mental health programs. The tax hike would cost homeowners about $5 a month.  

“Without sustainable funding, we risk joining the growing list of communities across the country … who are experiencing very steep increases in unsheltered homelessness,” Kahn said.  

Rather than share year-over-year numbers showing how homelessness in the region has changed, as the organization typically does, Kahn focused on what comes next.  

She emphasized the “fragile” progress made as demand for Housing Forward’s services continues to climb. Since 2021, the number of people seeking Housing Forward’s services increased by more than 80%, she said. 

Housing Forward is the lead organization in a group of about 150 private, public and nonprofit groups working on homelessness issues in Dallas and Collin counties.  

In recent years, Housing Forward has focused on coordinating efforts among homeless shelters, nonprofits, clinicians and law enforcement officials to make outreach and housing placement more effective.  

An example of that work is the Street to Home initiative, a partnership with the city and Downtown Dallas Inc. to help connect people experiencing homelessness to housing and mental health services.  

Kahn said street homelessness in downtown Dallas had plunged by almost 90% since its peak in September 2024, according to daily counts done by Downtown Dallas Inc. workers.  

The initiative has cleared encampments in front of City Hall and the public library’s main branch while connecting people living there to services, Kahn said. In that time, violent crime downtown has fallen by 20%. 

The city, Dallas County and private donors have pledged $28 million for the second phase of the initiative.  

Still, Kahn argued that long-term funding sources such as the proposed county tax increase would ultimately save taxpayer money by reducing costs tied to jails, emergency rooms and public hospitals. 

“We have a choice to make,” she said. “We can invest in these solutions now or we’re going to continue paying for this crisis.” 

Dallas County commissioners have until Aug. 18 to decide whether to put the tax increase on the ballot for voters to consider in November.  

County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins, who spoke at the event on a panel moderated by Colleen McCain Nelson, executive editor of The Dallas Morning News, said commissioners are seriously considering the proposal. But some members voiced skepticism during Monday’s court meeting. 

Jenkins praised Housing Forward’s approach of pairing shelter and housing assistance with behavioral health treatment and long-term support services. 

“You can’t keep building shelter beds,” Jenkins said. “You can’t arrest your way out of the problem.” 

Panelist Daniel Roby, CEO of the Austin Street Shelter downtown, said homelessness providers are increasingly struggling to meet growing demand. 

“We can … continue to go back year after year, asking for people to squeeze budgets … or we can have a dedicated, ongoing funding base.”