Who can blame us for feeling dog-tired and more than a little depressed amid this latest stretch of misery generators?
Harrowing images out of Afghanistan. Data screwups at Dallas City Hall. Politically motivated finger-wagging and mask smack-downs that surge more viciously than COVID’s delta strain.
It’s easy to think nothing’s going right — which is all the more reason for me to bring you some good news today.
As Dallas and Collin counties have worked increasingly effectively this year to find real solutions for our homeless population, the indomitable Joli Robinson has just been named to lead the effort.
If anyone can unite the 80-plus homeless-support groups in the two counties under a single strategy — if anyone can tease out a common purpose from scores of disparate voices — it’s Robinson, who begins her work Aug. 30 as CEO of the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance.
Only 39, Robinson is deeply rooted in the city she has called home for more than 25 years. She has long relationships with community members and equal respect from elected officials and philanthropists.
Robinson built many of those relationships in her eight years as director of community affairs and youth outreach for the Dallas Police Department. She was the first Black woman to head the office, which was established to address decades of poor relationships between police and communities of color.
Now after less than a year as Dallas Habitat for Humanity’s vice president of government affairs and public policy, Robinson takes her skills to a much bigger stage.
“It’s not great to leave a job so soon,” Robinson told me, “but the opportunity to lead this particular work was something I couldn’t imagine passing up.”
The CEO announcement comes at a pivotal moment, as the City Council prepares to vote on a bold plan to use Dallas’ allocation of federal COVID-19 relief funding for rapid rehousing of its homeless.
For years, inconsistent leadership and questions of trust have bedeviled the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance and made it near impossible to make strides on behalf of our unhoused population.
Knowing that Robinson is about to be on the job should give council members even more reason to vote yes on Wednesday. Her years at the police department included working with the homeless and with the agencies that try to help these individuals.
Even more important for this CEO job, Robinson is a champion of collaboration and a born relationship builder.
She understands that housing, especially affordable housing, is at the heart of most every societal challenge, and her own family story drives her passion for this work.
Her birth father has been homeless in Atlanta for more than 10 years because of drug and alcohol addiction. Robinson says sharing these details is important to help dispel the pain and embarrassment that others might feel about their own stories.
“My father has a full life and a full story,” Robinson told me. He went to college, served in the military and had two children before a series of unfortunate situations and decisions eventually resulted in homelessness.
“That doesn’t diminish him. It doesn’t diminish his family,” Robinson said.
Her personal connection is part of what makes this job, in Robinson’s words, the “honor of a lifetime to be a part of an organization that is working to end homelessness and to serve our unhoused neighbors.”
Those of us who know Robinson well recognize that the racial equity piece of this work also lured her to the CEO’s job. At the end of the day, she will stand on the side of what’s right and not sugarcoat the truth.
Robinson, who continues to serve as one of the two original co-chairs of the nonprofit Dallas Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation, sets her intentions like so: “Inclusive, equitable and affirming — both in our internal culture and for those impacted by the system.”
She noted that the majority of North Texas’ unhoused population are Black men, and one of her goals is to put a face to the numbers. “These individuals are people’s dads, brothers, sons, uncles and nephews.”
Robinson understands first-hand how difficult navigating the disjointed and sometimes contradictory homeless services can be. Even with her own education and experience, she’s often been at a loss to find help for her dad.
And she knows the horror of losing touch to the point that she had no choice but to call the medical examiner’s office to ask about unidentified bodies in the morgue.
Thanks to the many relationships she has cultivated over the years, Robinson expects to bring “more eyes, ears, hearts and minds” — and yes, even more financial donations to the table.
She approaches solutions for homelessness with the same question she has used in public safety and affordable housing: “Are we going to pay on the front end or on the back end?”
For example, she is aware that dealing with the 400 or so homeless encampments across Dallas is important to residents. But rather than spending money on continuous cleanups, it’s far better to get these individuals into safe housing.
Dallas businessman Peter Brodsky, chair of the reconstituted board for the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance, emphasized to me that the group’s job — as the umbrella agency for Dallas and Collin counties — is to make sure all the homeless-services entities row in the same direction.
He said it’s not as important that the CEO understand every technicality as it is to have those skills that can’t be taught.
“We needed someone able to lead and build consensus and communicate with everyone, from the smallest agency, to the mayor of Dallas to the county judge to large donors,” he said.
The same goes for working with community members, some of whom are intensely concerned about the welfare of individuals experiencing homelessness and others focused on the impact of encampments on businesses and homes.
“All of that describes Joli,” Brodsky said. “In addition to all that, she’s crazy smart.”
Robinson’s salary has not been disclosed but the previous CEO, Carl Falconer, who resigned in February, made $163,000.
Nissy New, chief operating officer, runs the business side of Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance. Sarah Kahn, from Atlanta, will join the leadership team next month as chief programs officer.
Brodsky said Kahn’s deep knowledge of homelessness — federal regulations, the homeless management information system and the boots-on-the-ground work of the local support agencies — will be invaluable to Robinson.
The new CEO comes on board just as the Dallas City Council considers an aggressive plan to get thousands of people off the streets.
If council members approve the use of $25 million from the American Rescue Plan Act, the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance will be part of a herculean effort to accomplish what’s been dubbed a “real-time rapid rehousing initiative.”
The goal is to find housing for more than 2,700 people, of whom 758 individuals will receive a permanent subsidy and the remainder will get similar help for a year. According to research provided to council members, more than 90% of those served by similar programs stay housed after subsidies end.
Based on everything I know about Robinson, her skills are perfect for navigating what are sure to be stumbling blocks on a project this intense — and one of a magnitude never tried before in Dallas.
But good luck trying to get her to wax on about being in the driver’s seat. She’ll smoothly shift to putting the spotlight on the 80-plus agencies supporting the homeless or talking about all the wins that Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance has already notched.
That humility is solidly grounded in Robinson’s Christian upbringing and studies at Dallas Baptist University. She doesn’t know what lies ahead, but she’s certain of her approach:
“I will continue to serve to my fullest capacity. I understand that whatever door is placed in front of me that I am to walk confidently through it. It’s all about service.”
When the state of the world gets too heavy for me to bear of late, I’ve found that following Mr. Rogers’ advice to “look for the helpers” steadies my spirit. There’s no better example of that than Joli Robinson.
Dallas is lucky to have her leadership again.
