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Resident urges Irving council to fund citizen‑led homelessness mapping and use ARPA dollars
Summary
During public comment Laura Anderson urged the council to fund homelessness‑response mapping led by Irving citizens and the Housing & Human Services Board, noting $2.9 million in ARPA funds she said remain undecided and urging the city to spend $30,000 for a mapping workshop to guide shelter and service choices.
Laura Anderson, an Irving resident, used the public‑comment portion of the July 10 work session to urge the City Council to fund a citizen‑led homelessness‑response mapping process and to use the city’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to address homelessness.
Anderson, who identified a downtown mailing address for herself, told council she had emailed them materials and a web link about homelessness‑response system mapping workshops and recommended the city hold a mapping workshop "headed up by citizens of Irving including the housing and human services board and not be staff driven." She argued that independent mapping can identify coordinated, tangible solutions and that community leadership should avoid conflicts of interest with downtown growth and business development.
Key points from Anderson's comments - Funding context: Anderson referenced roughly $2.9 million in ARPA funds and said the council "can determine the best use of the $2,900,000 ARPA funds" once mapping has been completed. - Workshop cost and timing: She noted a recent downtown reimagining project that the council funded — about $191,000 was authorized on June 12 and a first meeting was held June 24 — and asked whether $30,000 could be spent to run a homelessness‑response mapping workshop. She said the mapping would allow city leaders to assess the need for emergency domestic violence shelter or non‑congregate shelter by reviewing both needs together in the mapping process. - Pace of decision making: Anderson said the city had spent two years debating how to spend ARPA funds and urged a faster approach to identify shelter and service needs.
Council reaction and next steps Council did not take action during the public comment portion. Anderson concluded by offering assistance; no staff response or council resolution appears in the work‑session transcript. The city manager or relevant departments may receive the public comment for consideration in budget or program planning.
