Rising cost of living impacting homeless transitioning to stable life

The rising cost of housing is impacting more than just renters and those looking to buy a home.

It's also affecting the homeless population.

The lack of affordable housing and cost of living is causing some people who are in shelters to stay there longer until they can make enough money to afford rent or live on their own.

That's according to Tim Grigsby, the CEO of Dallas 24 Hour Club, one of the core nonprofits in the city helping to transition people from homelessness to stable housing.

"We provide safe and sober transitional living support services and essential life skills for homeless alcoholics and addicts, so they can really join the community, become self-supporting, and live out there on an independent basis,” he said. "People come in and they're given a lot of recovery support. We provide food, clothing, medical care, and dental care. Everything a person would need. We want to reduce the barriers to help."

Grigsby has walked the same path as their clients. Twelve years ago, The 24, as it is known to many, helped lift him out of homelessness.

I begged for help here on January 8, 2012, because I had nowhere to go and I had burned every bridge in my life and it was the best decision I've ever made,” he recalled.

Grigsby remembered how hard it was even then to make ends meet. Now in 2024, he says it can feel almost impossible.

"I always tell people when I moved out of The 24, I got a one-bedroom apartment with all bills paid including basic cable for 700 bucks a month and it was it was the deal of the century and that same place is over fifteen hundred dollars a month with no bills,” he said. “Now, housing costs and food costs have all skyrocketed.”

The nonprofit uses a metric set by an MIT cost of living study performed annually. Grigsby said their latest data shows the amount of money a single adult with a one-bedroom apartment has to make to generally support themselves in Dallas is $22.06 per hour. That's up from $17.83 just last year.

"It's a little bit over an 18 percent increase. And what that takes into account is healthcare, food, childcare, rent and everything," he said. "Finances can bring an amazing amount of stress on somebody and when we're stressed and when there's a lot of pressure sometimes we don't make great decisions."

His nonprofit has had to work harder to help clients with job training, financial skills, and other wrap-around services to find work that pays enough to stay on a self-sustaining path.

"Sometimes it can seem insurmountable but I like to start from the bottom. If you don't have a job, let's get a job – not ‘the’ job. But let's learn good habits. And what we teach around the 24-hour club as a response to this crisis is, this is just the reality, guys. And we need to shoot for $22.06 an hour."

Currently, a person who comes into The 24 makes an average wage of about $14 an hour. The nonprofit is working on ramping up programs to bring that number up to match the cost of living minimums in DFW.

“We have a career coach that meets with them and they learn life skills. Bank of America does better money habits classes with our residents. And then our phase two people earn over $15 an hour,” Grigsby said. “I'm so happy to hear our latest numbers come back from phase three at the Tillman House where our residents are earning over $20 an hour. So we're still pushing to get to $22.06.”

The 24 is looking at expanding wraparound services in an extra facility to keep up with the rapid changes.

“There's definitely a lot of societal pressures. With more people moving to Dallas and the rent cost, there's an amazing amount of pressure on people just to stay housed and make enough to earn,” said Grigsby. “If there's only a limited amount of resources and there's more people gunning for them, then some people are going to be left out. And we want to be there for the people that have been left out.”

‘IT WAS THE LAST OPTION’

Nonprofits in Dallas are crucial to keep people off the streets, especially in the difficult years following the pandemic. The 24 also works with about 100 other nonprofits in the North Texas network to get someone placed where they need to go.

Those services have helped clients like C.J. Morgan, who was able to change his life in just the last two years despite the post-COVID economy.

"It is tough coming off the streets, finding a job, and finding affordable housing. It does cause a lot of people to stay in places like this for longer than they intend,” he shared with NBC 5.

Morgan said he struggled with chronic homelessness for 10 to 15 years.

"When rent went up, I lost the place I was living and I ended up staying in my car. I couldn't make the car payments and ended up losing the car, ended up on the street living in a tent. That's when I got arrested and it's probably one of the best things that ever happened to me because it sat me down long enough to reevaluate my life and my priorities,” he said.

It took that stint in prison to lead him to The 24's doors in April 2023.

“While I was incarcerated, somebody told me that The 24 had amazing pancakes. Little did I know in a few short months, I'd end up here,” he said.

They gave him a job and after two years in the program, he's now the kitchen manager – making the same tasty pancakes that originally brought him there. Now for the first time, he’s taking part in the annual Chef All-Star Classic on October 20 as one of the talented chefs cooking at the biggest fundraiser for The 24.

"I wouldn't be where I'm at today without organizations like this and the help that I've received so anybody going through what I went through I just tell them don't give up. Find a place like this and keep coming back,” he said.

The city of Dallas is continuing to work on something they launched this summer called Street to Home Operation, working with nonprofits to get more people off the street and into subsidized permanent housing.

Dallas City Council will also address some of these issues in its Citizen Homeless Commission meeting on Thursday.

The city is also organizing a coat drive soon to help people stay warm this winter. Click here for more details.