The overview
Housing Forward, the lead agency in addressing homelessness in Dallas and Collin counties, announced Sept. 20 that the All Neighbors Coalition received $9.39 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The coalition is a collective of over 100 organizations working in collaboration to solve homelessness in the two counties.
The funding comes through HUD’s Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program, which awarded a total of $60.3 million to 16 communities across the U.S., according to a news release. The program is designed to support a range of housing programs, such as rapid rehousing, permanent supportive housing and transitional homes.
Housing Forward plans to use the funding to build a youth resource center, according to the news release. The center will support work to reunite homeless youth with family and prevent future homelessness.
What they’re saying
“Our ongoing work and our community’s vision for ending youth homelessness focuses on centering racial equity, amplifying the voices of youth with lived experience in planning and decision-making, and robust cross-system partnerships,” Housing Forward President and CEO Joli Angel Robinson said in the news release.
She said the new funding will help create “a more coordinated approach” in identifying and housing youth experiencing homelessness over the next few years.
In case you missed it
In January, Housing Forward conducted its annual, federally mandated count of people experiencing homelessness in Dallas and Collin counties. While the total number of homeless individuals decreased from 2022 to 2023, the number of youth ages 18-24 experiencing homelessness increased.
In 2023, Housing Forward counted 4,244 people experiencing homelessness in the two counties, compared to 4,410 in 2022. The number of homeless youth was 194 in 2023 and 164 in 2022, according to the organization’s annual report.
