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Myth: “People choose to be homeless and/or sleep on the street.”
Truth: This most harmful myth is not only untrue but ignores all major systemic failures. People often become homeless due to loss of income, injury, or lack of health and wellness options, or displacement due to emergencies and/or natural disaster. With these factors, it is possible for anyone of any background to face homelessness, but the biggest reason? Lack of Affordable Housing
The rapid rise in the cost of living has kept homelessness increasing over the last decade. The Fair Market Rent (FMR) as set by HUD for Tarrant County for a two bedroom in 2019 was $1068.00 and increased to $1617.00 for 2024. The reality is that the drastic rise in rental costs do not correlate with little-to-no increase in wages, causing many more people to fall into homelessness for the first time. As for sleeping outside, there are many reasons someone simply cannot go to a shelter: personal security or wellness concerns, past traumatic experiences, the refusal to be separated from a pet or family member, etc. Further, the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) has reported over 30% of unsheltered individuals are on waiting lists for housing or shelter because most cities do not have the capacity. Even the Texas Homeless Network (THN) reports that across Texas, there are significantly fewer shelter beds than unsheltered individuals. (THN, 2023 PIT Count Report).
There is nowhere to go.
The DRC Solution
While the DRC assessed more than 2,000 unsheltered individuals for housing opportunities in 2024, increasing affordable living opportunities and expanding services will truly help curb the rising unsheltered and unhoused populations.DRC Solutions believes that homelessness isn’t a choice, but rather a result of several compounding crises and a direct reflection of failed policies. The DRC fully focuses on providing housing-focused solutions that are actionable and sustainable.
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Myth: “People experiencing homelessness are lazy/addicts/criminals/mentally ill.”
Truth: This stereotype is deeply harmful and misleading. Only 20% of people experiencing homelessness meet the criteria for chronic homelessness, which includes long-term or repeated homelessness combined with a disabling condition like mental illness or addiction (HUD, 2024 AHAR). The majority are facing real crises, not personal failure.
Substance use, mental health struggles, and even criminal behavior occur across all communities, not just among people experiencing homelessness. The difference is access to support. Housed individuals often have the resources to recover while unhoused individuals do not.
In fact, people experiencing homelessness are more likely to be victims of violent crime than perpetrators (Urban Institute, 2023).Yet laws continue to criminalize homelessness. In 2021, Texas passed HB 1925, banning public camping and fining people up to $500 for sleeping outside, even when no shelter is available. These policies punish survival, disconnect people from services, and trap them in legal barriers.
According to the National Homelessness Law Center, criminalizing homelessness costs taxpayers $43,901 per person annually, while providing housing is just a fraction of the cost. (NHLC, 2023)
Criminalization doesn’t solve homelessness; it worsens it while wasting time and taxpayer dollars.
The DRC Solution
DRC Solutions never judges. Instead, we meet people where they are. Our Street Outreach and Housing Teams build trust and connect clients to care. Our Critical Documents Team has replaced more than 4,000 Identifying Documents for 2,000+ clients in the past year, opening doors to housing, jobs, and stability.DRC Street Outreach has forged partnerships with Fort Worth Fire and Police Departments’ HOPE Team and Arlington Police Department’s HEART Team to provide some relief from the outcomes of the Texas Camping Ban (HB1925). Three of our Mobile Assessors ride out with the departments daily, offering information and resources as cities try to manage the tough policy. DRC Solutions also partners with several mental health service organizations, offering intervention and pivotal wellness care, when needed.
We believe lasting change happens when people are seen and supported, not punished for their poverty.
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Myth: “People come to Texas to be homeless.”
Truth:The outdated movie trope of old drifters riding the rails “out West” somehow still persists. The truth is that most people experiencing homelessness reside in the same areas they grew up in. The Texas Homeless Network found that between 70-85% of people counted during 2023’s Point-In-Time Count (PIT Data) were already residents of that community before they became homeless. Our Continuum of Care Lead agency, Partnership Home, confirms that most people experiencing homelessness remain near their last place of stable housing. Even the anecdote of other states bussing people elsewhere is an assumption, not a fact. There is no consistent data showing people being “shipped in” from out of state. Both the Texas Tribune and the National Homelessness Center report that these investigated claims were rarely even backed by formal policy. Data has found that if a person has come from another place, it’s because they have/had family or job ties there.
The DRC Solution
Humans find comfort in familiarity, especially when experiencing crises.The DRC Street Outreach team works to reunite families whenever they can. If a client indicates they have a family home elsewhere, the Mobile Assessors confirm that the out of state family member will receive them and will start the “diversion” process. The team then purchases a bus ticket to reunite their loved one that same day and sees them off safely. This successful diversion method is not just positive for the client and their family, but also for the bottom line; A greyhound bus ticket cost $75-150 on average versus the annual $49,000+/person it takes to “manage homelessness.”
At DRC Solutions, we don’t ask WHY someone came to be. Instead, we ask WHAT THEY NEED NEXT. Between replacing lost personal documents, receiving imminent medical care, and finding suitable housing for their needs, home is wherever those needs are met. DRC Solutions is proud to serve its home of Tarrant County and support every person who makes up our rich community.
