Housing Forward is guiding people experiencing homelessness near Bachman Lake down a path that leads to permanent housing.
One morning in June, outreach teams working in collaboration with the nonprofit walked around the lake in northwest Dallas, checking on and providing food and necessities to those facing homelessness.
The effort was part of four weeks of targeted outreach in the area. During that time, Housing Forward helped 27 people around Bachman Lake move into housing by providing wrap-around services and behavioral health resources, according to Housing Forward CEO Sarah Kahn.
This summer’s outreach is emblematic of how Housing Forward has changed its response to homelessness since 2021. It now takes a more holistic approach to transitioning those navigating homelessness into housing.
“What we learned in 2021 is local governments just haven’t had great tools historically to be able to deal with those issues, which meant we could clean things and clear things, but in the absence of getting people permanently off the street, we’re really just moving the problem from block to block or neighborhood to neighborhood,” Kahn said. “Ultimately, we are committed to ensuring nobody sleeps outside, and I think have designed a system that’s really ready for this moment.”
Housing Forward, formerly the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance (MDHA), is the lead agency for homeless response in Dallas and Collin Counties. The All Neighbors Coalition, which Housing Forward supports, is a collective of more than 150 organizations that provides resources and support services to people experiencing homelessness in Dallas and Collin Counties.
Housing Forward works with these organizations, such as housing providers and Metrocare, which assists with behavioral health, in the hope of removing barriers to housing.
Outreach responders help with everything from connecting people with critical documents, such as the ID cards required to obtain housing, to securing veterinary care for people with pets.
Kahn said Housing Forward hopes that these efforts help alleviate street homelessness permanently.
“The All Neighbors Coalition has a Coordinated Outreach team assigned to (the Bachman Lake) area who will continue regular outreach to ensure rapid pathways off the street for anyone new becoming homeless in that location,” she added.
In 2026, Housing Forward aims to move more than 1,200 people into housing as part of a $28 million initiative announced this spring ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“We need to make sure that there’s sustainable resources for those efforts,” Kahn said. “This is not a one-and-done issue. Every year, there’s thousands of new households who are falling into homelessness, and we need to make sure that we build a system that can serve everybody.”
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