Dallas City Council approves operator for Oak Cliff homeless housing project

The Dallas City Council approved an operator for a long-awaited permanent supportive housing effort in North Oak Cliff.

The 14-0 vote to approve Catholic Charities of Dallas to operate the building at 1950 Fort Worth Avenue, a former hotel location, marked the culmination of a four-year effort.

Catholic Charities currently operates three St. Jude Centers in northwest Dallas, northeast Dallas and Lake Highlands.

District 1 Councilmember Chad West said Wednesday marked a big moment for a building the city purchased in 2020. West says much of the time since has been engaging with some neighbors who initially opposed the plan and working to find an operator of the building.

“Getting to this point today where we have a selected operator is a huge win,” West said.

The 20-year agreement uses $4.7 million in 2017 bond money earmarked for homeless assistance.

Renata Wells lives in District 1 and testified to the council before the vote her support for a plan that she says gives voice to a population who largely go unseen and unheard.

“I get really frustrated when people say we have to do something and then a plan comes up on how to house people, how to make the situation better and people don’t want it,” Wells told NBC 5. “I just felt like I had to come down and voice my opinion and say ‘These are real people out there.’” 

CHARTER AMENDMENTS DELAYED

In other items, the Dallas City Council voted to delay any approval of amendments to the city’s charter until their August 14 meeting.

The charter amendment process happens once every ten years and any approved changes by the council are sent to voters in November.

It’s unclear if amendments centering around increasing councilmembers' pay, changing council elections from 2-year to 4-year terms and legalization of marijuana have enough council support to be forwarded to voters later this summer.

HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGES SURVIVE

A push by District 7 councilmember Adam Bazaldua to outlaw the horse-drawn carriage business in Dallas did not get a full council vote.

Instead, Bazaldua made a motion to commit the proposed ordinance back to the Quality of Life, Arts and Culture Committee. The same committee approved the ban 6-1 after the idea was first proposed in late 2023 over concerns for animal safety. 

Bazaldua made the motion to send it back to committee after District 14 councilmember Paul Ridley offered an amendment related to a maximum temperature of 90F that equines could operate under.

Bazaldua described the amendment as "disingenuous".

"We could take the time as policymakers to make data-driven decisions which is not what's being presented in front of us," Bazaldua said about the amendment to the ordinance.

"We can work through if there is the will (in committee) to go line by line to figure out if different conditions and regulations that could be added and brought forth," Bazaldua said.

Ridley opposed the motion to send it back to the Quality of Life committee that he sits on and already voted against the ban once.

"We have all the evidence we need in front of us today," Ridley said. "I would submit it's time to support our small business and allow this to go to a vote."

The council voted 10-5 to send the proposed ordinance back to committee.

Brian High, owner of the only licensed horse-carriage operator in the city testified to the council the impact a ban would have on his company, North Star Carriage. High said the push to ban his business was "a manufactured crisis."

"We've been able to set straight many misconceptions, but this body as a whole still has not gathered the necessary information on this matter that has such devastating consequences to my family and my employees," High said.

Additionally, the city's aviation department, which oversees horse-drawn carriage rides, said it has no record of accidents involving North Star Carriage.