Dallas City Council members say they want more clarity about what led to the clearing of a homeless encampment just before the last winter storm, that an outreach provider says caught them off guard and may have shattered long-built trust with unsheltered neighbors. Elisabeth Jordan is the founde r and CEO of The Human Impact, a nonprofit organization started a decade ago to provide services directly to those living unsheltered in Dallas. Jordan says she arrived at work on Jan. 22 and noticed a large Dallas Police presence lining the street just outside her office. “It’s the hardest thing I’ve witnessed in over 12 years with my own eyes because it was so different from what I’ve seen in encampment closures for 10 years,” Jordan said. Twelve days later, Jordan says she’s still seeking clarity after a homeless encampment under South Central Expressway was cleared out by the city and DPD, with several people placed in zip ties. DPD tells NBC 5 the planning for the operation started six weeks prior and was led by the city’s Emergency Management and Crisis Response office with “everyone knowing ahead of time it was coming,” according to a spokesperson. “The operation is one of many that we have had. Officers spend weeks ahead with at least three visits for warnings before enforcement begins,” spokesperson Allison Hudson said in an email. “We always look at ways to improve, and working with our partners on a daily basis will help us in those endeavors.” DPD said three people were arrested and 42 citations were issued, with all but one (possession of drug paraphernalia) being for prohibited camping. Jordan said the enforcement caught her off guard. “I felt really overwhelmed and very confused about what was happening,” Jordan said. Typically, the city’s homeless response, headed up by non-profit Housing Forward, involves multiple agencies spending weeks working at encampments to get unhoused neighbors into a shelter, or some form of housing. Enforcement efforts to clear camps, when necessary, is supposed to be the last step. When NBC 5 asked what’s changed in the approach, the city of Dallas referred us back to the initial statement shared on Jan. 23. “The city of Dallas and Housing Forward remain fully committed to addressing the coordination gaps that led to yesterday’s (Jan. 22) event. Our agencies will continue working together to strengthen our progress and bring real change on street homelessness.” Dallas City Council members on Tuesday said they plan to seek more clarity from the city’s emergency management department at a committee hearing for Housing and Homelessness Solutions Committee on Feb. 10. “I do think there are still questions to be asked about how exactly enforcement is being handled and how they proceeded that way and why,” committee chair Cara Mendelsohn said. Council member Adam Bazaldua said this most recent encampment clearing did little to allow any of the unsheltered residents to get closer to living in improved circumstances. “The first step in mitigating homelessness is restoring dignity,” Bazaldua said. “The way the individuals were treated in our city was not dignified.” Jordan added that she hopes more clarity around the communication leading up to the enforcement will be shared, so it can inform future efforts while hopefully mitigating any long-term negative impacts to a vulnerable population. “I’m hopeful that we can return to that compassionate outreach ahead of enforcement and make enforcement, again, the last step in a process,” Jordan said. ...read more read less