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Commissioners back $30M ‘Street to Home’ plan; Housing Forward and partners to scale on-site outreach and rehousing
Summary
Dallas County approved participation in the Street to Home initiative, a $30 million multi-partner program to deploy mobile outreach teams and expand rehousing services for people living unsheltered.
The Dallas County Commissioners Court on April 1 voted to support the Street to Home initiative, a multi-partner effort led by Housing Forward to expand mobile behavioral-health teams, housing navigation and onsite rehousing assistance at encampments. Housing Forward described the effort as a $30 million program that mixes federal funds, private fundraising and local public contributions.
Key points presented by Housing Forward and partners: - Program design: Multidisciplinary teams will provide on-site behavioral-health care, housing navigation and rental-assistance casework with a stated goal of halving unsheltered homelessness in the initial implementation area by early 2026. - Projected savings: Housing Forward estimated annual savings to public systems (hospitals, jails, emergency services) as services move people from repeated crisis care to stable housing; the presentation described potential avoidance of $15–$20 million a year in public costs. - Funding approach: Presenters described $10,000,000 federal, $10,000,000 private and $10,000,000 public/local fundraising as the intended mix; the county approved its portion and directed staff to coordinate with partners and cities for the additional public and private fundraising.
Why it matters: The program expands a targeted, housing-first outreach model that aims to reduce costs associated with unsheltered homelessness (emergency shelter, hospital and jail usage) while connecting people to housing and care. County approval allows partners to move forward with city and private fundraising and stand up mobile teams.
Court direction and next steps: - The court approved the county’s participation and asked Housing Forward to continue fundraising and to coordinate implementation plans with the county and partner cities. - County staff requested quarterly updates and an implementation timeline; Housing Forward and city partners agreed to return with metrics and operating plans.
Ending: Commissioners hailed the multi-agency approach and asked for rapid follow-up on funding progress and operational milestones; the court’s vote cleared the way for expanded outreach and rehousing pilots under the Street to Home banner.
