BY SHELBIE HAMILTON CONTRIBUTIONS BY HANNAH JOHNSON
Diving deeper
Looking ahead
Community organizations in the McKinney Homeless Coalition are working to address the needs of people who are homeless in McKinney. While there is no emergency shelter in Collin County, the Samaritan Inn is a “comprehensive homeless program,” Chief Development Officer Kellie Maynard said. The organization, founded in 1984 and located on McKinney’s east side, offers beds and resources to single men, women and families. The organiza- tion also offers the Gateway Apartments, a transi- tional housing program for qualifying Samaritan Inn graduates, such as Gregory Jolly. Jolly and his 6-year-old son Elijah joined the Samaritan Inn program after staying with friends and family but not being able to find stable hous- ing. After graduating from the program, the duo moved into the Gateway Apartments. “For those with children and families that really need help, … it’s the greatest place on Earth,” he said of the Samaritan Inn.
Olinski said the city would benefit from a day center that offers showers, access to social workers and other services for homeless people—a resource McKinney doesn’t have. Ballesteros also expressed a need for a local resource center, noting he would like to see overnight beds be available. “We would benefit from a 20-30 bed type shelter, where there was … a low barrier of entry but high accountability,” he said. While no plans have been announced for a shelter in McKinney, Flom said city staff are considering a pilot program that would offer local housing vouchers. Funding for those would be derived from projects involving the McKinney Public Facilities Corporation. “We’re trying to just be a bridge for some of those folks,” Flom said.
“Homelessness is not going away, and it’s going to take all of us partnering together to help do what we can do,” KELLIE MAYNARD,
SAMARITAN INN CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
Other resources available locally include Emmanuel Labor, which aims to help those expe- riencing homelessness through outreach and the McKinney Emergency Overnight Warming Shelter. The shelter operated for 27 nights in late 2023 and early 2024, and served an average of 59 guests each night, Ballesteros said. The shelter saw a total of 1,518 overnight stays, which is a nearly 24% increase compared to the prior winter season.
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MCKINNEY EDITION
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