Since 2015, Kevin Stuart has been experiencing homeless. He鈥檚 tried to get long term housing, but it hasn鈥檛 been easy.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a process, one in which I can understand why one would throw up his hands and, you know, just move on to something else,鈥� he said.
Stuart said he sleeps most nights outside in a tent, but needs back surgery and a place to recover.
鈥淥nce I have that surgery, then I can go on with the rest of my life, whatever that will be,鈥� he said.
There are many people in the City of Dallas experiencing homelessness. The last point-in-time homeless count. Then came the pandemic, raising the specter of even more people losing their homes.
But the virus has presented an opportunity as well. Dallas City and County are using federal COVID-19 relief money to also address long-term homelessness.
The New St. Jude Center
The project is a repurposed hotel, operated by .
The former Gateway Hotel near the intersection of I-635 and Central Expressway in North Dallas is now called St. Jude Center 鈥� Park Central. The first guests will be people who need to quarantine due to COVID.
The site is slated to open to virus-affected guests on Dec. 14.
鈥淲e鈥檒l set them up in a room and make sure they have the appropriate needs for their quarantine period, which could last anywhere from seven to 14 days. Possibly longer,鈥� said David Woodyard, CEO of Catholic Charities Dallas.
How long the coronavirus portion of the project will last is anyone鈥檚 guess.
鈥淸Until] COVID goes away,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou tell us when that is.鈥�
The non-profit Catholic Housing Initiative (CHI) , and will begin renovations to make the site suitable for the next phase: transitional and long term housing for people experiencing protracted homelessness.
Eventually, at least 180 of St. Jude Center Park Central鈥檚 rooms will be dedicated to that kind of housing, and guests can stay for many months if needed. The ultimate goal is for them to receive services and become independent. Catholic Charities Dallas and CHI have had success with an earlier project just for seniors, St. Jude Center 鈥� Forest.
A 鈥榃in-Win鈥�
Money to buy and operate this new site came from Dallas County and the City of Dallas. The County towards the purchase and renovation, and the City spent $2 million from its allocation. The City may spend up to $3 million more on renovations, which would come from a for this kind of housing.
鈥淭he county and city were wise enough to see the opportunity to really kill two birds with one stone, if you will, by seeing this as an opportunity to respond to the COVID problem but make sure that it had long lasting benefit to the community,鈥� Woodyard said.
Kevin Oden, interim director of the Office of Homeless Solutions at the City of Dallas, called the project a 鈥渨in-win beyond all belief.鈥�
He thinks every council district should have a housing site similar to St. Jude鈥檚.
鈥淲e need this all over the city in various forms in various fashions to serve various and very diverse populations,鈥� he said.
Now, Oden is bracing for the end of the year, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's moratorium on evictionsexpires. He said when that happens, well over 10,000 more people could need housing or homeless services.
Dallas City Council is set to vote on another hotel project . Other cities like , and are making similar purchases. So are the , where a decline in travel led to more hotel owners being willing to sell.
A variety of partner organizations serve as the entry-point for chronically homeless residents to get on a waiting list maintained by the Metropolitan Dallas Homeless Alliance. From there, residents might secure a spot at St. Jude鈥檚 Center 鈥� Park Central.
The Christian homeless services organization is one of those organizations. CEO Pastor Wayne Walker said the St. Jude project is a step in the right direction, but that the area is already starting from a huge deficit.
鈥淲e need thousands of new beds in Dallas immediately,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e have a very minimal supported housing and even shelter space compared to other cities our size.鈥�
Kevin Stuart, who's been trying to get housing for about five years, is frustrated with what he considers an overly-complicated process.
鈥淚 need a hand. Just a hand. And I can pull myself back up,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut until I can deal with this back situation, you know, I鈥檓 in this position.鈥�
He is happy more long-term housing will be available for people like him, but said he isn鈥檛 counting on securing one of the rooms.
Got a tip? Email Bret Jaspers at bjaspers@kera.org. You can follow Bret on Twitter .
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