Dallas City Council approved joining a housing project for the homeless with St. Jude on Wednesday during its first council meeting back from its month-long summer recess.
Council members unanimously voted in favor of allocating $3 million alongside Dallas County for the project. The item passed as part of the meeting’s consent agenda.
The homeless housing project known as St. Jude Center – Vantage Point will be located at 9019 Vantage Point Dr. and funded by both the City of Dallas and Dallas County. The Dallas County Commissioner’s Court approved $3 million of funding for the project on June 6.
St. Jude Center – Vantage Point will reside in a former Extended Stay America Hotel that has been dubbed the “Hotel from Hell” by local residents due to surrounding criminal activity, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
The property was rezoned by the council in May to allow it to be purchased by St. Jude Inc. and developed into a “transitional housing facility” for the homeless. The project will consist of 132 permanent supportive housing units.
Council Member Kathy Stewart, who represents District 10, where the project is being developed, championed its progress during Wednesday’s meeting and thanked local nonprofits for their assistance in making it happen.
“I look forward to working with everyone involved and I really believe the District 10 community will find ways to support the St. Jude Center at Vantage Point,” she said.
The need for an effective response to homelessness and vagrancy in Dallas is dire, as residents say homelessness continues to be a “major” issue throughout the city.
One approach that has proven successful is that of Haven for Hope in San Antonio. Through a partnership with the local city government, Haven for Hope offers housing in conjunction with supportive services on a single campus.
The City of Dallas has yet to pursue this “one-stop-shop” strategy despite it polling favorably among Dallas voters.
