Dallas aims to combat homelessness through a potential tax, with voters deciding in November. The Street to Home initiative has reduced downtown encampments by 87%.
DALLAS — The streets in downtown Dallas have transformed over the last several years. In 2024, the city of Dallas invested $30 million to close homeless encampments in public areas and move residents into permanent housing through The Street to Home initiative.
The Street to Home Initiative is a Dallas-based collaborative program led by Housing Forward. The organization partners with other nonprofit organizations, law enforcement, and mental health and substance abuse agencies to provide permanent housing solutions and services to keep people off the street.
“We have permanently resolved all encampments downtown,” Sarah Khan, president and CEO of Housing Forward told WFAA regarding Phase I of the initiative. “Our friends at DDI are doing daily streets counts and those have decreased by 87 percent.”
In Phase II, Khan said Housing Forward and its partners want to continue to expand upon their work and success in downtown Dallas by expanding to help residents in other neighborhoods throughout the county. But it’s an uphill battle because they need more funding. That’s why Housing Forward is asking Dallas County Commissioners to approve their proposal of letting voters decide on a homeless tax this November.
“For the average property owner, that would be a $5 a month investment in preventing people from sleeping outside,” says Khan.
Since 2021, Housing Forward and its partners have helped over 23,000 people move from living on the streets. However, the need is growing as living costs increase.
But the need is growing as living costs increase.
“There are folks that I know who are struggling to pay [the] nearly $5 a gallon for gas,” Dr. David Woody III, president and CEO of the homeless recovery provider service, The Bridge. “If that gets thrown out of whack, that could be the one thing that trips many people into homelessness right now.”
So far, the city of Dallas and Dallas County have contributed a total of $20 million for Phase II of the Street to Home initiative. Private donors have contributed $4 million. These donations and grants not renewable. According to Khan, a tax would raise $100 million a year in what she called “sustained funding” to continue these services.
During her organization’s “2026 State of Homelessness Address” Thursday, County Judge Clay Jenkins acknowledged Housing Forward’s proposal while speaking on a panel.
“There’s a lot of questions … there’s a lot of things that have to be looked at with that,” he told the audience of organizations and concerned residents.
On the panel, Jenkins said Dallas County Commissioners have until August to approve the proposal for voters to decide in November. Khan said the proposal would be the best investment because county residents are already footing the bill in other ways.
“We’re going to be paying this through $500 million plus dollars as we manage this crisis in our emergency rooms or our jails,” Khan said.