11 December 12 - 18, 2024 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents was struck down by the Texas Supreme Court in May. Last month, Dennard was one of 110 Texas OB-GYNs who signed a letter urging lawmakers to reevaluate the state’s ap- proach to abortion legislation. “If we think we are going to get answers from the Texas Medical Board, we clearly are not. If we think we are going to get the answers from the Maternal Mortality Committee, we clearly are not,” Dennard said. “So it is now time for physicians to take off their white coats, leave the office and go have really, re- ally frank conversations with our hospital lawyers and with our own departments to provide safety for our patients.” ▼ HOMELESSNESS SLEEPING IN THE SUBURBS DALLAS’ SURROUNDING CITIES WITNESS RISE IN HOMELESSNESS. BY ALYSSA FIELDS The count of homeless people in Dallas and Collin counties has decreased three years in a row, a result of widespread initiatives and action plans to provide permanent housing. But in the success, surrounding individ- ual cities report growing homeless popula- tions and seek new solutions without similar funding and resources. The city of Dallas credits its landmark progress in re- ducing homelessness by 19% to a powerful collaborative effort from 140 organizations that make up the All Neighbors Coalition. “Everyone has a story and deserves the op- portunity to receive wraparound services to establish a fresh start for their lives,” said Kim- berly Tolbert, interim city manager, in a press release. “These are our neighbors and together our impact will lead to a day when homeless- ness is extinct from our community.” In September, the city announced that Phase 1 of the Street to Home Initiative had been completed. The project rehoused 100 individuals experiencing chronic homeless- ness from three zones in the city center. The plan hopes to reduce homelessness by half by 2026.The plan, an alternative solution to homelessness, is a stark difference from Dal- las’ historically firm approach. Texas has a statewide ban on camping, and sleeping in public has been a fineable offense in Dallas since the ’90s. The city recently rolled out a new program, Clean Sweep, and premiered plans to “reduce and mitigate homeless en- campments.” Since its inception, 45 en- campments have been cleaned. While Dallas celebrates its successes and ushers more homeless people out, cit- ies like DeSoto and Denton prepare for in- creases in their homeless populations. “One of the things I think will affect us is we are going to see an uptick because as people figure out they can’t camp out in Dallas, they are going to seek refuge in the suburbs,” said DeSoto police Lt. Melissa Franks at a City Council meeting reported by Focus Daily News. DeSoto, along with Cedar Hill and Dun- canville, is a member of a tri-city disciplin- ary team, the Crisis Assessment Resource Engagement Team (CARE), which offers free “community-based” support for those struggling with mental health issues. The CARE Team is one of the few resources DeSoto has to offer its homeless community. The homeless population in Denton has doubled since 2019. The city has yet to see a decrease in the homeless population since the founding of its dedicated homelessness task force in 2014. Denton City Manager Sara Hensley attributed the growth to other cities carting their homeless population to shelters in Denton. “If you build it, they will come,” Hensley told Denton City Council members during a meeting dedicated to the issue. “The city took it upon themselves to build a facility to serve people because they noticed there was a problem with people experiencing home- lessness. The city decided to invest the $13 [million] or $14 million to build a facility, and when that happens, people will come.” The Dallas Morning News reported homelessness in Plano had increased 16.5% in 2023. In McKinney, homelessness has in- creased 8% since 2021. Fort Worth charts numbers similar to Dallas, witnessing a 12% decrease in homelessness. Earlier this year the Fort Worth City Council unanimously approved $1 million to reduce homelessness in high-density areas within 17 months. Martha Dominguez de Gouveia/Unsplash Texas’ maternal mortality rate skyrocketed between 2019 and 2022. Experts are at odds over whether COVID-19 or the state abortion ban was the major cause.
