Fort Worth will close downtown homeless shelter. Where will people go?
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to correct an inaccurate number.
As Fort Worth attempts a return to some level of normalcy, a large shelter for those facing homelessness amid the novel coronavirus outbreak in downtown will be disbanded.
The Fort Worth Convention Center has housed more than 1,500 people since March 18. When the city’s homeless shelters sought to maintain social distancing, the convention center became impromptu housing with cots stretched out every six feet on the coliseum floor. That will end by the week of June 18 as the city looks to host conventions and meetings once again.
Nearly 50 RVs brought in to separate anyone who is infected or expected to be infected with COVID-19 will also be removed.
At least two conventions are scheduled for the downtown convention center in July — the 2020 Texas Can Academy Graduation and the MTG 10K Tournament by Pro Support. The Texas Sheriff’s Association plans a conference there in August.
The city will devote about $11.5 million to housing efforts, including nearly $10 million for rent and mortgage assistance and $1.5 million for a rapid rehousing program that provides rental help to those who have lost their home, according to a presentation Deputy City Manager Jay Chapa provided the City Council this week. The Day Resource Center, Presbyterian Night Shelter and the Salvation Army expect to each add at least one case manager to help find housing. That will mean relocating a few hundred people who do not have shelter. On average roughly 330 people have stayed in the temporary shelter each night since it opened.
But those efforts likely won’t house everyone who needs shelter, Chapa said.
The city hopes to lease a space that could provide shelter for at least 100 people. Several locations are under consideration, including one on North Main Street, city spokeswoman Sandy Baker said, but specifics have not been finalized. It’s not clear yet how much the facility will cost to lease.
To provide medical treatment for homeless patients who test positive for coronavirus, the city plans to lease the former Regency Hospital of Fort Worth at 6801 Oakmont Blvd. Negotiations are still underway, but Chapa said John Peter Smith will provide medical service. The 44-bed hospital closed in 2016.
These costs can be reimbursed through the federal CARES Act stimulus package, Baker said. The hospital can also operate as a surge location if a second wave of the outbreak occurs later this year.
This story was originally published May 21, 2020 at 10:51 AM.
