Some Dallas officials say Delays in repairing a leaky roof and water damage at a Dallas homeless shelter have led to mold problems and the closure of the child care area.
The group that operates the facility reported both incidents to the city, but it took weeks for officials to respond, according to a city administration memo to the City Council.
Elected city officials expressed outrage at the way the shelter repairs were being done during Monday’s Government Performance and Financial Management Committee meeting, with some saying it would put lives at risk – and that the repairs would cost taxpayers more.
“There were real warning signs,” 9th District Councilmember Paula Blackmon said during the meeting. “What can we do to make sure it doesn’t become a red alert?”
Family Gateway, the nonprofit that runs the homeless shelter, reported the roof leak to the city on June 3, 2023, according to a city government memo. Later that month, the group also reported water damage to the city’s Office of Homeless Services. The city hired a contractor to assess and repair the roof on June 28, according to the memo in Monday’s meeting.
“Repairs were made on July 3 and 5, and at that time the vendor recommended replacing the roof,” Christine Crossley, director of the city’s Office of Homeless Services, said during the meeting.
Crossely told the committee that Family Gateway reported mold in late July on the ground floor of the building that houses the home’s daycare. On Aug. 1, testing of the building “confirmed the presence of mold in the child care area … and in two guest rooms on the second floor,” the memo said.
12th District Councilmember Cara Mendelsohn, who represents the area where the facility is located, said she was almost speechless at the way the incident was handled.
“I think the whole thing is irresponsible and I’m embarrassed to be part of the city that didn’t take care of this roof for a homeless shelter that we worked so hard to build,” Mendelsohn said during the meeting.
The property was formerly a hotel before the city purchased the facility in 2020.
Mendelsohn said repairing the roof was not a good use of taxpayer money and now more will have to be spent to completely replace it.
City staff said the repairs in early July were intended to partially bridge the gap until the entire roof could be replaced. Mendelsohn said the council was still in session in June when the problem was first reported and could have addressed it then.
“We have caused even more damage to a brand new, beautiful building through our inaction,” said Mendelsohn. “I am super frustrated.”
1st District Councilman Chad West also questioned the timing of the process.
“There are families living in desperate situations here,” West said during the meeting. “The fact that it’s taken two or three months for the problem to actually be solved is, in my opinion, pretty terrible.”
West said the council will prioritize funding for these types of emergencies. Other council members wanted a clear explanation for the delays.
Donzell Gipson, acting deputy city manager, told the committee that this situation is unique because there is a lease agreement between the city and Family Gateway.
“There are established city responsibilities and then there are tenant responsibilities,” Gipson said. “I think every time something was reported, they both looked at the scorecard to say ‘who is responsible?'”
That process has delayed repairs, he said. Gipson declined to speculate on whether the current situation was due to delays in starting roof repairs.
The city had begun mold remediation in the child care area in early August, but it was put on hold while the city’s claims adjuster reviewed the claim for roof repairs and mold.
“After the adjuster did an on-site inspection, he approved that the city could proceed with the mold remediation,” Zeronda Smith, director of the Office of Risk Management, said during the meeting. “All we needed was the proposal.”
When her office became involved in the matter in early August and notified the city’s insurance regulator, it was important “not to take any action” without the regulator’s approval, Smith said.
City staff told the committee that a contractor had been hired to make repairs once the insurance claim was resolved.
Meanwhile, staff said the facility’s daycare was operating off-site. Later in Monday’s meeting, however, Mendelsohn read a text message that she said came from Ellen Magnis, the executive director of Family Gateway.
“She said (the child care facility) was not operational off-site,” Mendelsohn said. “She said (the facility) needed a negative mold test to reopen.”
The staff told Mendelsohn that the city would provide the facility with all the documentation it needed to reopen the daycare center.
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