DALLAS (1080 KRLD)- Dallas' Office of Homeless Solutions is hosting a coat drive Monday evening as winter approaches. Temperatures are not expected to dip below 40 degrees this week, but rain is forecast later this week, and North Texas recorded its first freeze of the winter November 27.
Monday at 6 p.m., Dallas City Councilwoman Paula Blackmon and Deputy City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert are planning a coat drive at Smoky Rose restaurant across from the Dallas Arboretum:
8602 Garland Rd.
Dallas, Texas 75218
People can donate new or gently used adult-sized coats and also learn about volunteer opportunities.
At OurCalling, a daytime outreach center, organizers say the need is increasing, and they are seeing an average of 72 additional people every week.
"To meet those needs, we need a few things. We need people to donate, we need funds, and always need people to come volunteer," says the organization's Juliana Williams.
Each year, the Dallas Office of Homeless Solutions also conducts a count of people living on the streets. Last year's count found 4,244 homeless people in Dallas and Collin Counties.
The non-profit, Housing Forward is now seeking volunteers for the next homeless count which will take place in January of 2024. People can register at https://housingforward.pointintime.info/ . Housing Forward will also prepare care packages for the homeless. You can register for that here.
Since launching a campaign in August of 2021, Housing Forward says 2,869 people have been placed in permanent homes. The organization hopes to find housing for 6,000 people by 2025.
Dallas' Office of Homeless Solutions says that number is higher than the number of people found on the street because higher housing costs could lead to more people losing their home over the next year.
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