Letters to the Editor — Homeless families, casino gambling, inflation, food plan

Prioritize housing vouchers

Re: “Don’t Stop Now on Encampments — Dallas offers housing and clears sites at downtown library and City Hall, but there are more to address,” Aug. 25 editorial.

I applaud the efforts in resolving encampments to address visible homelessness. There is a less visible population in crisis: families with children experiencing homelessness.

During the pandemic, emergency housing vouchers were prioritized for this vulnerable population. Those vouchers are now gone, and we are back to our lottery-based housing choice voucher system that is not prioritized for the families we serve.

During the pandemic, the child tax credit was increased, which put more money directly into the hands of families living on the edge and was enough to help them pay higher rents. That, too, was pulled back and failed reinstatement during this election year, despite broad bipartisan support.

Now, more families than ever are reaching out for support from the homeless response system. They are sleeping in cars and hotel rooms or are about to be evicted.

We have been managing the increased inflow by diverting them with alternatives to shelter. Diversion funds, too, are now dissipating.

We have seen firsthand what works: We need to prioritize vouchers, expand the tax credit and increase funding for diversion. Or these currently invisible families will become quite visible.

Ellen Magnis, Dallas

President and CEO, Family Gateway

Get casinos to fund charities

Re: “Casino gambling will harm Texas nonprofits — The charitable bingo games that fund them will vanish nearly overnight,” by Tom Stewart, Sunday Opinion.

Should Texas allow casino gambling? Let’s look at both sides of the coin — or the chip in this case.

On one side, there are new jobs, added hotel and restaurant profits and taxes plus sparkling entertainment enticing money-spending tourists. On the other side, some gamblers will put wagers ahead of groceries. They may experience mental health and relationship issues. And, as Stewart, executive director of Texas Charity Advocates, points out, likely revenue loss for small-town charities.

Possible remedy? Texas lotteries provide $2 billion a year to Texas public schools. It’s enough to fund five days of the 180-day school year. Just 0.3% goes to the Fund for Veterans’ Assistance and other state programs. Federal tax takes 24% from big winners. What do those small-town charities get? Zip.

So, when Texas state senators and representatives consider casinos, let them think about the bright side of the chip. The $30 million bingo games put into communities is not too much to take from casino operators, is it? Why not legislate a share of gambling revenue for the United Way, as well?

The house always wins. We know that. If casinos come to Texas, require them to open the house to charities.

Ed Pincu, Fairview

Think back to 2020

Re: “Are you better off now?” by Don Landry, Wednesday Letters.

For those of you who are saying we were better off four years ago, please let me refresh your memory of 2020. Donald Trump had already given huge tax breaks to corporations (including himself), exploding our national debt. He had already experienced the United Nations’ leaders bursting out in laughter when he told them how much he had accomplished. “Not the reaction I expected,” he said.

His COVID-19 leadership was anti-scientific, anti-factual and deadly. Trying to obtain ventilators was a debacle. The distribution of vaccines was a disaster, promising 100 million by the end of the year, then reducing it to 20 million, then missing that target.

If the U.S. had the same death rate as the European Union, nearly 84,000 Americans would still be alive. With the same rate as Germany, 152,000 would not have died. Some estimates were even higher. He would later admit that he lied to us about the severity of COVID.

He produced no health care or infrastructure plans. Meanwhile, the turnover of his senior executive staff hit 92%, including four chiefs of staff and four national security advisers.

Every day was chaotic. I would much rather fight inflation than live through that again.

Julie B. Morgan, Keller

Horny toads for the future

Re: “Horny toads get busy at breed, release program — 18 hatchlings of the native Texas species join facility to boost population numbers,” Aug. 25 Metro story.

Horny toads were the delight of my childhood. I remember chasing them around my backyard. So glad to see that remnants of times past are not forgotten.

Barbara Wiskow, Dallas

Address food insecurity

In 2023, at the Future of Food at SXSW, a panel of Austin leaders laid out the design of a massive effort to create an equitable and resilient food system. A plan to address food insecurity but also every component of the food system — inclusive of all Travis County residents. Dallas needs that same coordination. To the new city manager, this a call to action to work with the county to create a plan inclusive of all residents.

Simply said, Dallas has initiated components of a food plan, such as urban agriculture and food waste. However, there is a lack of coordination across all sectors involved in our food system. Thus, these efforts are diminished in their overall effectiveness.

Our food system is vulnerable. We must have a food system less reliant on exports and susceptible to supply chain delays and rising costs. Texas leads the nation in food insecurity, with Dallas County having the highest rate of food insecurity of the largest North Texas counties at 15.6% (nearly 407,000 residents).

There must be a collective city and county effort to combine resources and address every part of our food system to solve the problem.

Whitney Strauss, Far North Dallas

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