Dallas’ homeless population faces a variety of needs, beyond housing and supportive services. If not met, these needs may prevent them from ending their homelessness quickly and permanently. The idea of the Flex Fund is simple. A minor but impactful expenditure impedes a client from ending his or her homelessness, the Flex Fund pays for it, and the client’s homelessness ends. Nancy, Mary, and Rebecca’s stories well illustrate the importance of this vital tool.
Nancy*, a client of The Family Place, had suffered the trauma that comes with intimate partner abuse. She managed to obtain a new job, as well as Housing Choice Voucher that would subsidize her rent. She was approved for an apartment and had a scheduled move-in date. What she did not have was the $500 security deposit the apartment complex required.
Mary, a client of CitySquare, had been through a lot. She needed to go into CitySquare’s permanent supportive housing and receive much needed intensive case management services. What she did not have was the $400 fee to move all her things into her new unit.
Rebecca, a client of The Salvation Army, had had her challenges, and she was ready for what she called a reset. She had obtained a new job and was approved for an apartment through Under 1 Roof’s housing program. What she did not have was the $397 to cover the apartment risk fee, pest control fee, administrative fee, and rental insurance.
Fortunately, back in 2015, MDHA and United Way of Metropolitan Dallas had founded the MDHA Flex Fund. All Nancy, Mary, and Rebecca’s case managers, Jaclyn, Beatriz, and Sharon, needed to do was fill out a simple one-page Flex Fund request form, attach any relevant documentation, and submit everything to MDHA.
MDHA promptly approved the Flex Fund requests and cut the necessary checks within 24-48 hours, because when it comes to renting an apartment in this market time is of the essence. The checks were delivered to the respective vendors, and Nancy, Mary, and Rebecca moved into their new homes.
The heroes of these stories are the clients and their case managers, and MDHA is happy to play a small part in ending their homelessness. The fact is, though, that without the private funder community there would be no Flex Fund.
Thank you so much to the 2021 Flex Fund supporters, the USAA Charitable Foundation, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, the Hillcrest Foundation, N.A., Bank of America Co-Trustee, Mrs. Margot Perot, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, and the King Foundation. With their help, we are making homelessness rare, brief, and nonrecurring.
* Clients’ names have been changed to protect their privacy.
