$8.2M supportive housing project underway in Dallas

DALLAS – Construction has begun on an $8.2 million project that aims to house and stabilize 50 of the most vulnerable chronically homeless in Dallas.

The 50 Cottages at Hickory Crossing will be 400 sf, just south of Deep Ellum on Malcom X Blvd. and I-30. The 2.7-acre wooded site is a former homeless camp.

When the cottages are completed, which is expected to be late 2014, residents will be selected by mental health professionals and screened using a risk tool. The goal is to select the men and women who have cost taxpayers the most.

“We found out that if we take the 200 most expensive people, the average person in the top 200 is costing taxpayers about $40,000 per year to keep them on the street,” said Larry James, president and chief executive of CitySquare, which will offer residents job training and other social services.

Housing each of the 50 residents at Hickory Crossing will cost about $15,000 per year.