Title
Informational Update on the Better Together Initiative, Specifically Related to the Initial Needs Assessment
Summary
COUNCIL GOAL: Goal 5: Enhance the Quality of Life in McKinney
MEETING DATE: July 21, 2026
DEPARTMENT: Housing and Community Development
CONTACT: Margaret Li, Housing and Community Development Director
RECOMMENDED CITY COUNCIL ACTION:
• Receive presentation.
ITEM SUMMARY:
• This work session item is to provide an informational update on the Better Together Initiative, specifically related to the Initial Needs Assessment.
• Over the last several weeks, the project team has conducted various listening sessions, feedback sessions, and an online public survey to gather input and insight on homelessness in McKinney.
• The initial needs assessment summarizes the key findings of this outreach and provides a snapshot of the existing conditions surrounding the multifaceted issues associated with homelessness.
• In particular, the initial needs assessment highlights the following:
o The 2026 Point in Time Count identified 240 sheltered and unsheltered homeless individuals; which represents 0.10% of the city’s total population (consistent over the last five years).
|
2026 Data |
City of McKinney |
Housing Forward (Collin and Dallas Counties) |
|
Sheltered Status |
76% sheltered and 24% unsheltered |
70% sheltered and 30% unsheltered |
|
Type of Homelessness |
8% identified as chronically homeless (majority experiencing situational/transitional/episodic homelessness) |
18% identified as chronically homeless (majority experiencing situational/transitional/episodic homelessness) |
|
Household Types |
43% were households with children |
20% were households with children |
o Cross-session consensus among the different stakeholder groups included the need for more shelter and housing capacity in Collin County; better coordination among existing organizations; and the lack of public transportation as a key barrier.
o The key gaps in the existing systems identified across data, listening sessions, and the community surveys include:
§ Root causes of homelessness - economic and structural pressures such as housing costs that have outpaced wages, breakdowns in family structures, and re-entry barriers that follow people out of jail or eviction court.
§ Homeless Experience - absence of low barrier/emergency shelter for single individuals, challenges with identification and document retrieval, lack of practical needs including storage, transportation, and daytime space.
§ Symptoms of Homelessness - a small, largely chronic population accounts for outsized EMS, hospitalization, and police contact because needs remain unmet; which results in recurring encampments or hot spots.
§ Systemic Barriers - such as the lack of knowledge of the Police Department’s Community Services Unit or other available resources/programs, lack of coordination and data sharing among existing service providers, Federal eligibility rules, and insufficient funding.
• Next steps include the development of the Strategic Plan and Implementation Plan.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
• On October 21, 2025, the City Council adopted the Better Together Initiative’s Guiding Principles to guide the city’s efforts to address issues associated with homelessness.
• On March 3, 2026, the City Council adopted a resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute a contract with the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) for facilitation services for the Better Together Initiative.
• The scope of work for the Better Together Initiative includes the creation and implementation of a community engagement and public outreach plan; homelessness needs assessment; development of a strategic plan; and the subsequent preparation of an implementation plan.
• The Better Together Imitative was created to address issues associated with homelessness that includes the root causes of homelessness, lived experiences of current homeless individuals, and the impacts of homelessness on the community.
• The assessment is based on quantitative and qualitative research conducted by UTD and was developed with public input provided through a community survey (over 350 responses as of July 9, 2026); and feedback from seven listening sessions conducted with the following stakeholder groups:
o First Responders/City Staff
o Downtown and Highway 380 Businesses
o Westside and Eastside Residents
o Service and Faith Organizations
o Unhoused Residents
FINANCIAL SUMMARY:
• The impacts of homelessness is estimated to cost taxpayers approximately $9-15 million annually. Approximately $1.6 million of those costs are incurred by the city through Emergency Medical Services and law enforcement activities.