From KERA News:
On a chilly morning in late February, Terisa Hensley gets up early to pack. She puts on make up, donned pleather pants, a glittery graphic tee, and a pleather jacket.
She had woken up in a tent under a bridge in East Dallas where she’s lived for years. But tonight, she’s going to sleep in an apartment of her own.
“I’m feeling oh, so excited,” Terisa says. “With a little bit of dread. Just a little bit of dread … and that’s just from being out here so long.”
Terisa’s also a little stressed. She’s only allowed to bring two bags with her, she was told. So she’s trying to pack as much as she can.
Eventually, she hands off some belongings to friends, loads two bags and a bit more into a Dallas city van, and then she’s heading off to see her new home.
Terisa is one of about two dozen people moving from this encampment into long-term housing. It’s part of a process called decommissioning — an approach led by the nonprofit Housing Forward and the City of Dallas to help people leave homelessness behind.
The process is part of a shift in strategy that’s helped reduce homelessness in Dallas even as homelessness is on the rise across the country. Since 2021, more than 25 encampments have been closed and 370 people moved out of homelessness into housing.
And today’s moving day.
for Terisa, that come after months of work by more than 20 staffers from at least seven nonprofits and agencies to get everyone in the encampment into a subsidized apartment and connected with long-term supportive services and a caseworker to help make the transition successful.