The Dallas City Council signaled continued support Wednesday for an initiative to provide permanent supportive housing for homeless people living outside. The Street To Home initiative began in September 2024 with the goal of eliminating unsheltered homelessness in downtown Dallas. Housing For ward CEO Sarah Kahn said Wednesday that phase two of the project will expand the effort into targeted areas outside the immediate downtown area. “We really need to encourage people to come inside and we have to make sure there’s always a shelter bed available,” Kahn said. On Wednesday, a $10 million budget item expanded into a larger discussion about how well the initiative is working. District 12 City Councilwoman Cara Mendelsohn told colleagues the item needed to be briefed before arriving for a vote on Wednesday and argued the money could be better spent on alternative efforts, like tiny homes, for those living outside. “When these dollars are spent, we’ll have nothing to show for it,” Mendelsohn said. “Nothing.” Dallas City Manager Kimberly Tolbert clarified the city is a partner with Housing Forward, which coordinates the homeless response in Dallas County and Collin County, and the $10 million is part of an overall $28 million commitment for the current phase, in part supported by private donors. “It is working,” Tolbert said of the initiative. “We said that there would be a need for continuous support and continuous funding.” The council approved the funding on a 14-1 vote, with Mendelsohn casting the lone “no” vote. ...read more read less