During the work session on April 23, representatives from Housing Forward and Metrocrest Services will provide brief introductions and presentations to Council.
Housing Forward:
Housing Forward, formerly Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance (MDHA), was founded in 2002 to serve as a collective voice for homelessness in Dallas and Collin Counties with the expertise, partnerships, and resources to lead a system-wide, data-driven strategy with a mission to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring.
Housing Forward acts as the lead agency for the Continuum of Care and manages the centralized Coordinated Access System (CAS) so that individuals experiencing homelessness are identified, assessed for their needs, referred to resources, and connected to housing. The CAS allows services to be streamlined and coordinated from providers across Dallas and Collin Counties to help the system work more efficiently for those who need it.
To inform its system-wide strategies and approach, Housing Forward works together with the All Neighbors Coalition, a collaborative work of over 140 organizations. The Town of Addison recently joined this coalition to provide access, insight, and input into the strategies and systems being used.
Metrocrest Services:
Metrocrest Services is a non-profit community partner that assists with identifying, connecting, and resolving housing instability or homelessness for individuals locally in Addison, as well as Carrollton, Coppell, and Farmers Branch.
Depending on the circumstances, Metrocrest Services can provide help for families, seniors, and individuals in paying their rent/mortgage and water or energy bills. People in need of assistance meet one-on-one with a Case Manager Coach who works with them to tackle their immediate needs and help them on a path toward a more stable financial future.
For those individuals who may be experiencing homelessness and living unsheltered, Metrocrest Services has a Street Outreach team, composed of staff and volunteers, whose purpose is to meet individuals where they are at to develop relationships, assess needs, and connect with resources. The Town of Addison Police Department and Town staff work with Metrocrest Services to identify and connect the Street Outreach team to individuals experiencing homelessness and living unsheltered.
The Town of Addison helps to support Metrocrest Services through an annual grant process, with a grant of $139,653 provided to the Metrocrest Services organization in FY2024.
Next Steps:
On Monday, May 13, representatives from Housing Forward and Metrocrest Services will help to present a Citizens Education Seminar at 6:30 p.m. at the Addison Conference Centre. This presentation will provide more information on what homelessness is, the barriers and challenges to housing, and the systems and strategies being used. It will also feature a question and answer period for community members.
Town staff are continuing to work with Metrocrest Services, Housing Forward, neighboring cities, and other partners in strengthening our collaborative response. Town staff is also working to strengthen internal coordination and responses related to homelessness concerns, such as developing processes and guidelines for clearing and cleaning any potential encampments.
Staff will continue to keep Council updated through Friday report updates and will bring forward any recommended policy or funding items for consideration. |