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Advocates and clients urge City Council to fund year‑round low‑barrier shelter and rapid rehousing
Summary
Multiple public commenters — including staff and clients from Dismas Recovery Resource Center — asked the council to allocate HHSP set‑aside funding for deposits, case management and rapid rehousing that they say can move roughly 50 people from street to housing. Speakers described recent client placements and requested predictable, year‑round shelter capacity.
Corpus Christi — During the evening public-comment period, representatives and clients of Dismas Charities’ Recovery Resource Center urged the City Council to allocate homeless‑services funding for permanent housing solutions, including security deposits, case management and rapid rehousing.
Jennifer Nanias, a case manager at Dismas, asked the council to support the program through the Homeward Homelessness Services Program (HHSP) general set‑aside. She said the funding would allow the center to “convert temporary interventions into permanent solutions,” and proposed a budget to cover deposits for roughly 50 clients — “hopefully, 30 into public housing and 20 into stable market rate housing.” Nanias described an operating model that includes follow‑up wellness checks and ongoing housing retention work after lease signing.
Dismas Director Claudia Delfin said the center operates as a low‑barrier, peer‑driven drop‑in resource with diversion partnerships with the police department; she told the council the center has served more than 400 unduplicated clients and has moved people into treatment and housing. A former client, Jesse Lewis, described leaving long-term homelessness after working with Dismas’ case managers and asked the council to fund similar services so others can achieve stable housing.
Other public commenters described immediate safety and code‑enforcement concerns at bus stops downtown and urged the council to increase police presence and outreach for people living outside. Several speakers emphasized that investing in year‑round low‑barrier shelter and rehousing is more cost‑effective than last‑minute emergency shelter activations during extreme weather.
Why it matters: Speakers and staff said the model used by Dismas reduces criminal justice contacts, improves health outcomes and preserves housing placements by providing case management and post‑move support. Councilmembers asked staff to consider program details and funding mechanisms for future agenda items.
What’s next: Dismas asked the council for HHSP funding to support deposits and essential client services; staff did not announce an immediate council action on that request during the meeting.
