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Dallas opens secondary inclement-weather shelter as Fair Park nears capacity
Summary
The Office of Homeless Solutions said the city opened sheltering Sunday and added a secondary site at the old Austin Street building (2929 Hickory) after Fair Park reached capacity; the city provides pickups to shelters, allows pets, and gives departing guests DART passes.
City officials said Dallas expanded inclement-weather sheltering as demand rose and outlined how outreach, transportation and site operations will work during the storm.
Christine Crosley, director of the Office of Homeless Solutions, said the city triggered inclement-weather sheltering Sunday when forecast criteria were met and opened Fair Park Grand Place (3701 Grand Avenue) as the primary site with Austin Street staff leading operations. "As of today as of this morning, we had 855 individuals at Fair Park Grand Place and 53 individuals at Oak Lawn United Methodist," Crosley said while announcing that an old Austin Street building at 2929 Hickory will open as a secondary site because Fair Park is reaching capacity.
Crosley described three pickup zones available throughout the day for transport to shelters and said 311 can coordinate pickups outside those zones; outreach teams and Dallas Fire Rescue assist with evening transports. She emphasized that shelters are ADA accessible, pets are allowed (staff reported multiple dogs in current shelters), and cold-weather packs are available at recreation centers for people who remain outside.
On questions about what happens when sheltering ends, Crosley said everyone departing inclement-weather shelters receives a DART bus pass to travel where they need to go and staff will provide ADA support when required; security is used at sites to ensure orderly departures. Dallas Fire Department representatives said paramedics are staffing shelters to support medical needs while on-site.
Officials said they will continue to monitor capacity and open tertiary sites if necessary, and will publish pickup-zone information and a FAQ banner on dallascityhall.com under Office of Homeless Solutions.
