Dallas County Cuts Critical Funding for Homeless Center

"Help the Homeless Week" kicked off last Thursday in Dallas, but something was noticeably absent from the opening day breakfast fundraiser, and I'm not talking about pancakes. Mike Rawlings, the city's former homeless czar, zapped some of the joy when he announced that The Bridge, Dallas' homeless assistance center, is facing a brutal $200,000 budget shortfall.

While the shelter has been struggling to stretch its limited resources to assist ever-increasing numbers of homeless individuals, it was dealt a particularly harsh blow when Dallas County decided to cut its contribution by 10 percent this year. Cash-strapped municipalities across the country are having to make due with less, but now is not the time to eliminate funding that helps support our most vulnerable citizens.

The Bridge, a city-owned facility, opened in 2008 to offer shelter, counseling, health care and meals to 600 people a day. It now serves 1,400 each day. Facility staff have worked tirelessly this year to cover costs with the $8.1 million dollar budget, provided by government funding and private donations, but dramatic rises in homelessness over the past year and the partial elimination of County funding has placed them in a difficult spot. Mike Faenza, president and C.E.O. of the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance, which operates The Bridge, explains, "We've done a really great job of keeping costs down, but the numbers we serve continue to grow. We need people who need services to seek help at The Bridge, but we look at the community to help us continue these services."

Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert praised the Homeless Alliance at last week's breakfast, noting that the organization has helped to reduce chronic homelessness in the city by 57 percent, while saving government agencies millions of dollars by assisting people who might otherwise end up in other, more expensive government institutions (like jail). The numbers alone speak to how important funding a facility such as The Bridge can be, and should serve as a clear indication to Dallas County officials that they are not only doing a disservice to the county's estimated 6,000 homeless individuals by cutting funds, but they are also negatively affecting the entire county.

Help the Homeless Week features a variety of events that will help raise money to fight homelessness, including the Homeless Walkathon and 5K. While Mike Rawlings made a plea for donations from the community to cover the budget shortfall, it only makes sense for the county to step up and help cover the costs.

Tell Dallas County to restore critical funding to The Bridge Homeless Assistance Center!

Photo credit: Vxla