"...the facility has been overwhelmed, sleeping 400 to 500 more per night than the 300 it was designed to serve overnight."

Because assisting those experiencing homelessness has so many variables, providing services can involve literally dozens of different agencies and individuals and often can become a monumental task. It is not then unusual to see that agencies who initially agree to collaborate and/or cooperate with each other eventually part ways as they discover that they are simply unable to meet the needs or demands of each other. Agencies have an organizational culture and disparate cultures often clash when brought together. Power struggles, personality conflicts, operational nuances, etc all combine to create an atmosphere of stagnation, inefficiency and at times perceived incompetence in the eyes of each agency when they assess each other. Often these challenges are very difficult to overcome, so in my mind, the only real surprise here is just how quickly they arrived at the conclusion to part ways....

Dallas homeless shelter The Bridge ends contract with social services provider

12:00 AM CDT on Saturday, June 28, 2008

By KIM HORNER / The Dallas Morning News khorner@dallasnews.com

Just five weeks after Dallas' homeless shelter opened, its operator unexpectedly has ended a contract with the nonprofit hired to offer social services at the facility.

TOM FOX/DMN

A homeless man relaxes outside The Bridge, which is serving hundreds more people than it was designed to.

The Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance, which runs The Bridge for the city, said PATH Partners of Los Angeles is leaving as part of a mutual agreement. PATH had a renewable, $1.3 million contract through the end of the year to provide caseworkers to help homeless people get services such as housing.

Mike Faenza, president and chief executive officer of the nonprofit Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance, said his organization will take over those duties. He said the MDHA plans to hire staff employed by PATH Partners. He said the decision will not cause any disruptions to services to homeless people.

Joel John Roberts, chief executive officer of PATH Partners, complimented The Bridge's management for doing a good job handling the high demand for services, which he said has placed the staff in "crisis mode."

PATH's contract, which was scheduled to end in December but was renewable, provided $654,427 in quarterly payments.

"Even when we were negotiating the contract initially, we had on the table that we can set it up and hand it over any time," Mr. Roberts said. "It's not about contracts or money."

The contract provides for immediate termination for four reasons: failure to take action as required by management or the city when there's an issue of public health and/or safety; failure to maintain required insurance; failure to maintain necessary licenses or permits; or failure to maintain adequate personnel.

However, both Mr. Roberts and Mr. Faenza stressed that the agency was not fired. Mr. Faenza said the MDHA wanted to take over social services at The Bridge so it can respond more quickly to the huge demand for help at the facility.

The city opened The Bridge, a 24-hour center, on May 20 to serve the chronically homeless – those who are disabled, mentally ill or addicted and have been on the streets long-term. A downtown business group recently said the center has helped move a significant number of homeless people from the streets, addressing a problem that has festered for years.

But the facility has been overwhelmed, sleeping 400 to 500 more per night than the 300 it was designed to serve overnight. Most of those people have severe mental health problems or other medical issues.

Mr. Faenza said the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance wanted to directly address issues with maintenance, security and staffing that stem from the large crowds instead of handling those matters through a contractor.

"We have a tidal wave, and we want to succeed," Mr. Faenza said. "The numbers of people, and their needs, and the risk, were so high. I felt like we could not have that second layer in between MDHA and these people, because we had to move very fast. Managing a contract was too cumbersome given what the situation was."

PATH Partners' departure will save $300,000 in taxpayer funds by eliminating some management positions, Mr. Faenza said. That money will be used to pay increased costs for security, maintenance and other services resulting from the larger-than-anticipated numbers of homeless people using the center, he said. Operating expenses of The Bridge are paid through private donations and funding from the city and Dallas County.

Karen Rayzer, director of Environmental and Health Services for the city, which built the $21 million facility, said the city is confident that services to the homeless will not be interrupted.

"The situation wasn't working to the level they wanted, so it was agreed by both parties that it was best to dissolve that," Ms. Rayzer said. "MDHA is committed to making sure all of the services needed are being delivered, and Mike [Faenza] is working frantically to make sure we have personnel in place to step in."