DALLAS — Dallas County District Attorney write-in candidate Eric Reed is calling for a practical response to homelessness that combines firm enforcement against criminal conduct with coordinated housing and treatment services for people with mental health and financial problems repeatedly entering the justice system.
Reed’s approach would focus on protecting residents, businesses and people living on the street while requiring clear expectations, supervision and follow-through in cases requiring appropriate community services.
“Residents deserve safe neighborhoods, and businesses deserve safe places to operate,” Reed said. “People living on the street also deserve protection from violence and exploitation, while addressing underlying issues. A responsible District Attorney must take all of those concerns seriously.”
Base Prosecution on Conduct and Public Safety
Reed said charging and case-resolution decisions should be based on evidence, criminal conduct, a person’s record and the risk to public safety.
Violence, threats and repeated theft would receive a firm response. A person’s lack of housing would neither excuse criminal conduct nor substitute for evidence of a crime. Criminal trespass, property crimes, burglary, theft and illegal drug use would be prosecuted according to the law.
“No one should have to accept threats, break-ins or repeated theft as part of daily life or as the cost of doing business,” Reed said. “Those who commit these crimes will face prosecution and consequences that reflect the harm they cause and their record of repeat offenses.”
Connect Unhoused People With Community Resources
For eligible cases in which unhoused people wind up in the criminal system due to unemployment, medical debt, mental health issues, lack of identification and poverty, for example, Reed would support supervised programs that refer people to public services with treatment, emergency housing assistance and other services through local partners and social workers.
Prosecutors would distinguish criminal activity from these underlying barriers to housing. Decisions would focus on a person’s conduct and the evidence, while referrals to community resources could help address circumstances that prosecution alone cannot resolve.
“The fact that 57 percent of people booked into Dallas County’s jail have mental health problems is a huge factor in why it’s overcrowded,” Reed said. “Prosecutors must work with community providers to address treatment and housing needs while holding people accountable for criminal conduct. Taxpayers should not have to keep paying for repeated incarceration while these underlying problems go untreated.”
Reed would emphasize identifying service needs early and coordinating with community providers, rather than handing them a referral list or a phone number they may have no phone with which to call. He said coordinated services are needed that can help those eligible secure housing and treatment so they don’t boomerang back into the system.
A 2024 Dallas County Health Department study estimated that incarcerating people who had experienced homelessness cost Dallas County nearly $17 million annually.
“Cycling someone through jail without addressing their underlying issues will bring them right back into the system and does not give the public a lasting solution,” Reed said. “Taxpayers should not have to fund jail as a costly substitute for housing and treatment. We need coordinated services that help people secure housing and treatment, with consistent follow-up.
About Eric Reed
Eric Reed is a declared write-in candidate for Dallas County District Attorney with more than 30 years of criminal-law experience as a prosecutor and trial lawyer. Learn more, volunteer, donate and find write-in voting instructions at writeinreed.com.
Media Contact: media@writeinreed.com