McKinney council hires UT Dallas to lead 'Better Together' homelessness planning
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Summary
The McKinney City Council approved a contract with the University of Texas at Dallas to facilitate the Better Together homelessness initiative, including community outreach and a needs assessment. Staff said the public outreach phase should finish by May and the strategic plan by October.
The McKinney City Council voted to hire the University of Texas at Dallas to facilitate the city’s Better Together homelessness initiative, authorizing the city manager to execute the contract and any supplemental agreements.
Margaret Lee, the city’s housing and community development director, told the council the city received four proposals through a public RFP process and that an evaluation committee recommended UT Dallas. The university’s scope will include a community engagement plan, a comprehensive needs assessment, and development of a strategic and implementation plan. Lee said public outreach and the needs‑assessment phase are anticipated to conclude in May, with final deliverables expected by October.
Councilman Cloutier, who said he served on the evaluation committee, praised the process and the selection, noting that members of the UTD team have local experience and that one of the team leads lives in McKinney. Lee said the process will include steering committees and working groups and invited both housed and unhoused stakeholders to participate.
The council moved and approved the item on a council motion. Lee said all initiative documents will be posted to the Better Together page on the city website, and she encouraged community members to participate in forthcoming listening sessions and working groups.
Next steps: staff and UT Dallas will begin outreach immediately, proceed with the needs assessment, and return with a final strategy and implementation plan later this year.
