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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Hotel Miramar was initially bought by the city to serve as a quarantine location during COVID-19.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Hotel Miramar was initially bought by the city to serve as a quarantine location during COVID-19.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Emma Ruby<\/p>\n
Six years after the city of Dallas purchased it to serve as permanent supportive housing for the chronically homeless, a North Oak Cliff hotel remains vacant.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Over the years, everything from neighborhood pushback to asbestos to noncommittal operators has delayed the opening of the shelter planned for the former Hotel Miramar, now known as the 1950 Fort Worth Ave. property. The latest roadblock, though, comes from Washington, thanks to changes to homelessness<\/a> funding strategies announced last year by President Donald Trump. <\/p>\n In December, Oak Cliff neighbors were informed by the Catholic Housing Initiative (the umbrella organization that is meant to be operating the center) that \u201cthe new federal administration\u2019s change in funding priorities\u201d had caused \u201ca significant delay\u201d in the housing project, which is intended to provide 70 beds to veterans, seniors and disabled individuals experiencing chronic homelessness.\u00a0\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n For the last year, the Department of Housing and Urban Development has attempted to rework the federal Continuum of Care Program, which many cities, including Dallas, rely on to enact \u201chousing first\u201d strategies. The administration\u2019s goal has been to deprioritize long-term housing solutions and instead focus on backing time-limited initiatives that emphasize mental health and addiction treatments.\u00a0 <\/p>\n Sign up for the This Week\u2019s Top Stories newsletter to get the latest stories delivered to your inbox<\/p>\n THANK YOU!<\/p>\n You’re all set.<\/p>\n CLOSE\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n The courts have repeatedly challenged the funding changes, but it hasn\u2019t stopped ripple effects from hitting the tenuous realm of homelessness aid.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIn the last number of years, we\u2019ve gotten about $10,000 (in federal funds) to help us with our food budget to feed the people that we serve. And that has been stalled for probably a year and a half,\u201d said Alice Zaccarello, executive director of The Well Community in Oak Cliff. <\/a>\u201cThis is just what\u2019s going on in the nonprofit world. It\u2019s not a happy situation, and unfortunately, I think there are more cuts coming.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Zaccarello has long advocated for the 1950 Fort Worth Ave. project. Her organization offers free programming \u2014 from hobby to educational to supportive \u2014 and hot meals to the neighborhood\u2019s homeless. In her decade in the role, she\u2019s seen the growing need for more beds firsthand, and she\u2019d hoped that the North Oak Cliff center would have opened by now.\u00a0<\/p>\n It appeared to be close two summers ago,<\/a> when the building cleared a major zoning hurdle, and the city finalized plans for a facility manager. The idea was that the city\u2019s most vulnerable would be brought to the facility and have a place to live for up to two years while also receiving \u201cwraparound services,\u201d a municipal buzzword that means everything from support for mental illness or addiction to help finding employment to healthcare. The approvals came after years of negotiations with neighbors in the area, who were finally on board.\u00a0<\/p>\n Then, nothing.\u00a0<\/p>\n The notice sent to neighbors in December said that involved stakeholders were \u201cworking diligently\u201d to identify an alternative funding source for the project, but that the plan was \u201cto begin construction in 2026.\u201d We\u2019re eight months into the year, though, and dirt hasn\u2019t moved.\u00a0<\/p>\n A representative for the Catholic Housing Initiative did not respond to the Observer\u2019s request for comment. The city of Dallas told us that there are \u201cno updates\u201d on the shelter.\u00a0<\/p>\n