City staff outlines tight state requirements and high operating costs for possible designated campsite for people experiencing homelessness

Yuri Villafundo, managing director, presented staff research on establishing a designated campsite for people experiencing homelessness and said legal and operational barriers require extensive preparation. Yuri summarized statutory constraints, telling the committee "House Bill 1925 does not allow municipalities to designate properties for this use unless the cities get approval from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs." He outlined the application’s required elements, including a non-park site, documented access to health care (within 1 mile), public transportation (within 0.5 mile), law-enforcement coverage comparisons, coordination with the local mental-health authority, and evidence the city-owned site can provide toilets, sinks and showers.

Staff also presented cost estimates and capacity planning. Yuri said a three-stall trailer (3 sinks, 3 toilets, 3 showers) would cost about $13,496 per month or roughly $161,952 per year for sanitation services. He noted FY25–26 contractor costs for clean‑camp remediation totaled $132,763 and that the HUD point-in-time count for Garland in 2026 was 33 people (Dallas County count 2,872). Committee members raised community-acceptance, enforcement and shelter-capacity concerns; staff advised the committee there is no evidence such a site would eliminate unauthorized camping and recommended the presentation and dollar estimates be forwarded to council for further direction.