Dallas homeless encampment complaints up 45% over last 3 years

Dallas homeless encampment complaints up 45%

The city of Dallas says complaints about homeless encampments are up 45 percent in the last few years.

DALLAS - The city of Dallas says complaints about homeless encampments are up 45 percent in the last few years.

City staff outlined a process to deal with the encampments, but council members and Dallas businesses say the process isn't being followed.

Homeless encampment complaints

By the numbers:

On Tuesday, Kevin Oden, the director of the newly-established Department of Emergency Management and Crisis Response, told city council members were told that complaints about homeless encampments to the city's 311 service line have climbed in recent years.

In 2021, the city received 8,000 complaints. In 2024, there were 11,000, a 45 percent increase.

Oden said 90 percent of the high-priority complaints are responded to in 24 hours and that 80 percent stay clear for 30 days.

Those numbers were questioned by Councilwoman Cara Mendelsohn.

"Right now, it is not happening. At least not in my district," she said. "The residents are so fed up and they are fed up of hearing homelessness is decreasing when they see it every single day. They report it, it gets closed and it does not get addressed. These are people who truly need help and it's not happening. You just started, I'm not complaining to you about it. I'm hoping you're going to take care of it."

Homeless encampment fire impacts business

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Homeless camp fires spark business owners’ outrage

Dallas business owners are demanding action after a third fire in nine months at a nearby homeless encampment, raising significant safety concerns.

Why you should care:

A lawn service company in Northwest Dallas contacted FOX 4 after a fire at an encampment behind their building.

The Lawn Mowgul owner Tony Watson and office manager Kristin Mompho say they city's seemingly half-hearted response allowed the encampment to remain.

The pair were desperate to get the city's attention before someone gets hurt.

Watson and Mompho said the city seemed to blame them for the problem behind their business.

"There was an officer that contacted us. They basically told us said they would do a one-time courtesy cleanup, but it was our responsibility to keep everybody off," explained Watson.

Days after FOX 4's story aired, the city did come out to clean the encampment, but the Office of Homeless Solutions only cleared half of it.

"I feel like we just got lip service. Getting a phone call, ‘we’re going to come out this afternoon. We're going to clear it out' and then I get here and only half of it is cleared out," said Mompho.

City staff told Mompho the other half belonged to the water department, meaning two different city offices were responsible for one problem.

"[The homeless] were back in by nightfall. Back there living, rebuilding," said Mompho.

We showed Watson the slide about the city's response to 311 complaints.

"They did not do any follow-up, post clean-up monitoring or any of this. I mean, it's just a joke," he said.

A spokesperson for the city responded to FOX 4's questions on Tuesday afternoon, saying the property is scheduled for additional service on Thursday.