Gary Hill was eager for his new apartment key after living in a shelter off and on since the pandemic hit. He’d waited months for a unit after being referred to a new Dallas rapid rehousing program.
Hill is among the more than 1,800 people who have enrolled in the rehousing program, which began last September. The Dallas initiative, a collaborative, $72 million effort funded by a mix of private donations and a one-time infusion of COVID-relief money, aims to house 2,700 people experiencing homelessness in Dallas and Collin counties before the end of next year.
As of late, resurging COVID-19 cases, overflowing homeless shelters and summertime staffing issues have all “greatly impacted” their efforts as well, said Joli Robinson, CEO of Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance, the program’s lead agency. Housing placements for individuals took a dive in July with only 84 people finding units, the first time placements dipped below 100 since January. Only 73 people received housing in August.
“It’s kind of a team effort at this point,” said Erdman, who has been helping Hill for the last couple months. She added that much of that effort goes into finding landlords who will participate. Nathaniel Barrett, a residential real estate developer, has managed a dozen small, market-rate apartments across Dallas for about five years. He has housed voucher-holders in the past and recently accepted a Dallas R.E.A.L. Time participant.
Leah and Andrew have demonstrated that they are two more of the many DMN Sovereign Citizens who feel they can just splat any false accusation they want without a single ounce of empirical evidence. They ain't capable of being journalists. They are DMN Sovereign Citizens.