Nonprofit organizations combat homelessness in Collin County
As the fastest-growing city in the country, Frisco boasts a lot of great selling points. From acclaimed schooling to low crime rates and it’s proximity to several Fortune 500 companies, it’s an ideal place to live in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
However, the city and surrounding Collin County’s affluence hides the growing issue of homelessness, especially among the youth. City House is working to serve those youth in a way no other organization is.
“We exist because we never want a child to feel like there is no other option for them,” City House Director of Volunteer Resources Lisa Rodgers said. “There are kids in our community that need our help and we want to be that resource that can do everything.”
City House’s primary mission is to serve children who have been abused or neglected in Collin County. Aptly named “My Friend’s House,” City House operates as an emergency shelter for children aged 0–17 where they receive basic needs as well as services like counseling, medical assistance, and life skills.
“The shelter is named that way so that the kids don’t have to feel ashamed about living in a shelter,” Rodgers said. “They can just say they live at ‘my friend’s house’.”
City House also provides a Transitional Living Program (TLP) for homeless young adults between the ages of 18–22 for a period of up to 18 months. Currently, they operate three homes in Plano and Frisco, two for girls and one for boys and are working on acquiring a second boys’ home.
“Some of these young adults come off the streets with no place to go, often being kicked out from their homes,” Rodgers said. “Through the transitional facility, they can confidently learn the skills they need to like budgeting and proper job etiquette to be successful on their own.”
The Collin County Homeless Coalition conducted their annual Point-in-Time Homeless Census event in January, which aims to record a snapshot of homelessness on that particular day. 427 people were identified as homeless he numbers decreased four percent since last year’s census.
Among the surveyed homeless people, 140 of those are children according to the census report. In total, 33 percent of the homeless population in Collin County are children, a 10 percent increase from 2017
“It’s easy to say that we don’t have a problem because most people can’t see it, but we do,” Rodgers said. “Acknowledging the problem is the first step in helping these kids and keeping them safe.”
The CCHC also collected data from the five local school districts. The total number of students identified as homeless according to the report is 1,454, with a majority of students living in McKinney and Plano. While the total number of homeless students has decreased by 10 percent in the last year, the numbers increased for Allen and Plano school districts.
“We’re currently on a wait list for teen boys so Sheri, our CEO is looking for a new home to purchase,” Rodgers said. “It’s taking longer than we expected and I hate that we’re keeping those boys away.”
In 2014, City House had bought the third transitional facility home intended to shelter two young girls and a baby. Purchased in the Plantation Resort 2 community in Frisco, they even renovated the space with a $47,000 grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to the Dallas Observer.
However, the community’s homeowner’s association filed a lawsuit them, citing that City House violated their HOA covenants of a single-family household. The suit went to court where a judge filed in City House’s favor and are now continuing to use the property as a female TLP.
“The stigma surrounding homelessness is quite toxic and especially so for someone so young,” Rodgers said. “There’s only so much we can do to shield our residents from the negativity, but sometimes it’s inevitable.”
In the case of homeless adults, the CCHC attempt to connect shelters and services to those that are in need. According to the CCHC’s census report, the largest factor of homelessness for 29 percent of surveyed people was the inability to pay rent or mortgage. 28 percent cited unemployment as the main reason for becoming homeless.
“For me, I just can’t afford to live in Frisco anymore,” local resident Katherine Rourke said. “When all the development started, the prices just skyrocketed. And my income just isn’t enough to support rent and other expenses, so I had no choice but to leave my house.”
The U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development defines homelessness as “an individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.” The official definition also includes individuals fleeing domestic abuse.
Beyond just Collin County, women facing domestic abuse especially in the Muslim community around the Dallas area were able to find a safe haven, Peaceful Oasis Emergency Shelter.
“In the Muslim community, domestic abuse is a taboo subject that many women are afraid of speaking out about,” Chief Operations Manager of Texas Muslim Women’s Foundation Mona Kafeel said. “The Peaceful Oasis shelter is a resource open to women of all backgrounds to feel safe and seek help.”
Run by the Texas Muslim Women’s Foundation (TMWF), the shelter is the only one of its kind in Texas. Targeted specifically for Muslim women, it “addresses their specific language, faith, diet, social and legal needs” according to the TMWF website.
“We even have staff that speaks more than 14 languages because we know the vast diversity of immigrant women who live in the local area and may need our services,” Kafeel said. “But beyond our shelter, our organization provides training to local mosques and communities on family violence and how to combat it.”
In addition to the shelter, TMWF also monitors a domestic violence hotline that runs 24 hours, seven days a week.
“According to the Texas Council of Family Violence, one in three Texas women will experience some form of domestic abuse — these numbers are quite scary,” Kafeel said. “Our goal is to make sure whoever comes to us for help receives the adequate services they need.”
