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McKinney issues Hunger & Homeless Awareness Week proclamation as local providers urge more services
Summary
At its Nov. 18 meeting the McKinney City Council proclaimed Nov. 16–22 as Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week; local shelter and continuum‑of‑care leaders said demand is rising and described program expansions and outcomes.|
Mayor Bill Cox proclaimed Nov. 16–22, 2025, as McKinney Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week and urged residents to support local agencies addressing food insecurity and homelessness. The proclamation cited joint work with the Collin County Homeless Coalition, Housing Forward and local nonprofits.
The proclamation was followed by public comment from local service providers. Paul Bialceros, president and founder of Emmanuel Labor, told the council that “the moment a person becomes homeless, their life expectancy drops 20 years and they become 3 times more vulnerable to all causes of death,” and urged the council and community to change how they view and respond to homelessness.
Heather Maultsby of the Samaritan Inn described a marked increase in demand: she said residents served rose by about 26% from the prior year and that her organization processed more than 1,000 unique shelter applications (a 23% increase). Maultsby thanked council members for recent engagement and said the Inn has expanded services to include a grocery‑style pantry and additional assistance programming.
John Hill, chief external relations officer for Housing Forward, said Housing Forward is the lead agency for the continuum of care covering Dallas and Collin counties and highlighted multi‑partner progress: he said the region has seen four years of decreases in homelessness and noted that veterans identified for rehousing are being housed in about 78 days, a pace Hill said is faster than a cited federal 90‑day benchmark.
Why it matters: Several speakers framed homelessness as a solvable, person‑by‑person problem that requires coordinated services and preventive programs such as childcare and early education. Council recognition of the week signals continued municipal engagement with providers and anchors upcoming discussions about service capacity.
What the council did next: The council moved on to routine business and later returned to land‑use and budget items. No formal policy or funding decision tied to the proclamation was made at the Nov. 18 meeting.
The council is expected to continue conversations about homelessness and related service capacity in future agenda items and work sessions.
