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Why Does Dallas Have So Many Homeless Camps? Too Little Affordable Housing.

Why Does Dallas Have So Many Homeless Camps? Too Little Affordable Housing.

Dallas Observer January 27, 2020

As the group walked along Cottonwood Creek, they ran into Josh Thomas, 21, who told them he'd been homeless off and on for a while. Thomas said he came to Dallas from Rochester, New York, to live with his grandmother. When she died, he was left without a place to stay. So he slept on friends' couches for a while until he was arrested on a burglary charge. When he got out, he had nowhere to go, so he ended up on the streets.

Thomas said he thought he could get himself into housing if he could get a copy of his birth certificate and his Social Security card. Bailey told Thomas he'd be back by on Monday to follow up with him.

Bailey said Thomas' story about just needing to get copies of his personal documents is one he hears often. Many people tell him they ended up on the streets after their ID or Social Security card was lost or stolen, and they couldn't get work. Usually, there's more to the story than that, he said, but at least it's a place to start.

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Why Does Dallas Have So Many Homeless Camps? Too Little Affordable Housing.

Thomas' Story

Thomas lived on the streets five years before moving into Metrocare’s Safe Haven transitional supportive housing program. The Outreach staff never gave up on helping Thomas, a veteran diagnosed with post-traumatic stress and bipolar disorder.

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John's Story

Before coming to The Center for Children with Autism at Metrocare (CCAM), John’s mother couldn’t communicate with her son. He was not connecting to anyone and did not speak at all until her birthday, when he finally said “mommy” for the first time, at the age of eight. It was then that she realized John had to keep working with the CCAM, if there was any hope for his future.

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Natalie's Story

Natalie is a 16-year-old who was placed on probation for getting into a physical altercation with her mother.

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Michael's Story

Michael is a seven-year-old boy who has ADHD and PDD. There is an improvement in social skills that is evidenced by a decrease in conflicts with his cousins, and he is sharing his toys more often with them. There is also a significant reduction in the frequency and intensity of the tantrums. Medication, in conjunction with behavior intervention, has helped with this improvement.

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Jim's Story

Jim is diagnosed with schizophrenia and has had 4 hospitalizations at a state hospital within the last year. On release, ACT supports consumer in locating housing and reestablishing Social Security benefits. ACT staff coach Jim in transporting self by city bus, working on a budget, developing socialization skills, and maintaining residence & personal hygiene.

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Matt's Story

A forty-eight-year-old male was placed in a state facility when he was five years old. His mother did have contact with him during the time he was in school, but financially was unable to care for him while maintaining employment. During his late thirties he was placed in an Intermediate Care Facility for Mental Retardation in the Dallas community and attended a day program.

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Paul's Story

Paul had been experiencing progressively worse "episodes" of paranoia, delusions, extreme moodiness, and auditory and visual hallucinations, to the point where his wife was ready to leave the marriage. His wife continued to encourage him to get treatment, and he finally decided to go to Metrocare. Approximately 3 years ago, at the age of 48, he was finally diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, severe, with psychotic features.

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