Dallas, Collin counties end veteran homelessness, federal agencies say

Dallas and Collin counties have “effectively” ended veteran homelessness, according to a panel of federal agencies tasked with ending homelessness.

At a press conference Wednesday, leaders of the lead local agency Housing Forward joined federal officials to announce the landmark designation in the Dallas City Hall Flag Room.

Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson shared the good news with a crowd that included several veterans, elected officials and members of the local homeless response system.

“The men and women who serve our country and sacrifice so much to keep our country safe deserve to be treated with dignity,” Johnson said, adding that his administration has long advocated evidence-based approaches to solving the homeless.

“This means we now have the systems, data and coordination in Dallas and Collin counties where any veteran who falls into homelessness can and will quickly get a permanent home within 90 days,” Johnson said.

North Texas is now a community with a response system that makes homelessness for veterans rare, brief and non-recurring, according to US Interagency Council on the Homelesswhich includes 19 federal agencies.

The designation signals that Dallas and Collin counties have a strong and well-coordinated homelessness response system that has the capacity to identify veterans who lose housing and rehouse them quickly, permanently, said Sarah Kahn, president and CEO of Housing Forward.

“That doesn't mean there won't ever be another veteran experiencing homelessness,” Kahn said. “But it does mean that every veteran who falls into homelessness has the opportunity to quickly return to permanent housing.”

Members of the All Neighbors Coalition, the US Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Housing and Urban Development spoke Wednesday on the region's progress in rehousing veterans.

Meg Kabat, principal adviser to the secretary of Veterans Affairs, said the Dallas region is now among 83 communities nationwide that have ended homelessness, including Austin, Houston, San Antonio and Abilene.

Despite the region's achievement, Kabat urged communities to continue to open their doors to veterans. She urged landlords to rent units to veterans who need permanent housing. “You fought for us,” Kabat said. “We will fight for you.”

Kahn said her agency began the rigorous process of submitting data for the federal designation about 10 months ago.

The federal government requires communities to meet certain standards before receiving the designation, including a system infrastructure that effectively identifies veterans experiencing homelessness.

Designated communities have demonstrated that they can rehouse veterans within 90 days.

“We also need to ensure that we have housed all people experiencing long-term chronic homelessness who have been on the street for more than a year,” Kahn said. “And, typically, that's the population that has chronic disabilities or health conditions that have made it really difficult for them to get out of homelessness on their own.”

Meeting those standards required Housing Forward to work more closely with Veterans Affairs to identify veterans who need help, Kahn said.

Chris Varner, 32, a combat veteran, talked about the struggles he faced trying to re-enter society after his service — and the help he got from Veterans Affairs. Varner said he experienced homelessness and was unable to hold down a steady job after leaving the military.

“I was at one of those stages in life where I had no one to talk to,” Varner said. “And then I go to the VA, and these people actually came back to me.”

Housing Forward reported last month that Dallas and Collin counties numbered 3718 people experiencing homelessness in its timely survey in January, making it the lowest measured since 2015.

Kahn attributes the decline in homelessness in the region — and the gain in federal designation — to a transformed response system that operates more effectively and collaboratively.

Efforts to end veteran homelessness across the region started in 2020 with a challenge by Dallas City Council member Chad West, who served as an Army officer.

“Obviously, our work isn't done until homelessness ends for everyone,” West said. “And that's not really going to happen in our lifetimes. But today is a holiday. It's a celebration for the 1.5 million veterans in Texas and a celebration for the 500,000 veterans in D-FW.”

Fellow council member Jaime Resendez reflected on the challenges of returning to civilian life after leaving the military.

“After serving our country, many of us struggle to find a place to call home,” Resendez said. “It's an issue that goes beyond not having a roof over your head. It involves the loss of stability, security and the ability to build a life after service.”

Housing Forward Board Chair Peter Brodsky said this appointment could not have happened without the collective effort of local partners and federal support.

“So I want to thank everyone involved for putting aside their egos and their agendas and coming together in a symphony that has achieved what every veteran truly deserves, which is to live a life of dignity,” he said. Brodsky.

What is the US Interagency Council on the Homeless?

The US Interagency Council on Homelessness coordinates the federal response to homelessness by partnering with all levels of government and the private sector to reduce and end homelessness in the nation.

The Council is comprised of the following 19 agencies: AmeriCorps, the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, the General Services Administration, the Office of Management and Budget, the Social Security Administration, the United States Postal Service, and the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Justice, Labor, Transportation, and Veterans Affairs.