Dallas voters will decide the outcome of 10 propositions on the ballot for the May 4 municipal bond election, including funding for projects to shelter and rehouse people experiencing homelessness.

Proposition I would dedicate $19 million total to projects addressing homelessness, with $1.8 million funding HVAC and generator renovations at The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center, which is about to celebrate its 16th anniversary serving Dallas’ homeless residents.

The overnight emergency shelter, located in the Cedars neighborhood, serves as a critical piece of the city’s system for helping homeless folks find case management and pathways to permanent housing, said David Woody, president and CEO of The Bridge.

The shelter had to forgo a lot of maintenance needs for years to respond to the global health crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic, including upgrades to the building’s power generators and heating and cooling systems.

“If we lose power, then I’m scrambling trying to get assistance from other providers within the homeless response system to meet the needs of the 700 to 1,000 people who otherwise don’t have shelter,” Woody said.

The Bridge provides food, shelter, showers, health care and case management to nearly 1,000 homeless people. At night, only about 400 people can sleep inside the shelter’s doors because of limited space.

“Our challenge right now is that there are so many additional individuals within our homeless response system who need night shelter,” Woody said. “We’re just not able to meet their needs.”

The facility located near the southern downtown district sometimes loses power for unpredictable lengths of time, interrupting staff operations and ultimately costing time toward helping people exit homelessness, Woody said.

Permanent supportive housing

Permanent housing options, especially affordable units for the people with the lowest of incomes, are the key solution to rehousing people, according to a June 2023 report from the Mayor Eric Johnson-appointed task force on homelessness.

Johnson’s task force recommended in its report that Dallas make use of city-owned facilities acquired with pandemic relief funds to serve as temporary shelters or permanent supportive housing as it continues breaking down outdoor camps.

But only one city-owned facility is up and running, the report says. The report blames the “inefficient practices within the City” for a lack of progress.

About $6.7 million in bond money will provide gap financing for permanent supportive housing projects. Permanent supportive housing helps people with disabilities with permanent rental assistance and support services like case management and bus passes.

Out of the $19 million dedicated to homelessness solutions, about $10.5 million would fund various projects in Districts 1, 2, 7, 9, 10 and 13.

Dallas City Council members dedicated millions of their $5 million in discretionary funds toward homelessness projects in their districts.

In prior bond elections, Dallas residents approved $3 million for homelessness projects in 2003 and $20 million in 2017.

About 6.3 million from homelessness funding in 2017 was later used for housing-related projects in southern Dallas’ Mill City Infill, the Jeffries-Meyers neighborhood and parts of West Dallas.

Early voting on the bond program began on Monday, April 22, and runs through April 30.