City auditor: Denton’s homelessness response needs clearer encampment procedures, coordinated outreach and stronger shelter case management

A city audit and an extended council work session on April 15 highlighted gaps in Denton’s response to unsheltered homelessness and led to direction from council for staff to develop concrete next steps.

The audit, presented by the city auditor, summarized service gaps, enforcement impacts and shelter operations after the city’s 2024 Point-in-Time count showed 424 people experiencing homelessness in the city. The auditor said about 45% of people counted were unsheltered and that the city enforces state camping statutes while having “not enacted local laws that may impact people experiencing homelessness” beyond a few targeted local ordinances.

Why this matters: The review found uneven monitoring of encampments, limited documentation of responses, low collection of fines tied to enforcement, and shelter practices that do not reliably produce housing placements. Council members said better coordination is needed to balance public-safety concerns, property-owner impacts and the city’s capacity to help people exit homelessness.

Key audit findings and numbers - 2024 Point-in-Time (PIT) count for the City of Denton: 424 people experiencing homelessness. - About 45% of people were unsheltered, the audit reported. - The shelter contract requires 120 emergency shelter beds and 32 enhanced shelter beds; auditors found the “enhanced shelter” format had changed in practice and that about 25% of overnight guests lacked a completed coordinated entry assessment. - The audit said 88% of overnight shelter guests were exited back into homelessness after a shelter stay during the audit period; only about 11% of overnight guests…