Businesses Invest In City Plan To Fight Homelessness

Businesses in Fort Worth, Texas, invest in a city-led plan to combat homelessness.

1 minute read

December 26, 2008, 5:00 AM PST

By Larry Schooler


"Mike Guyton considers his company's involvement as a matter of simple economics. Guyton is vice president of customer operations with Encore Electric Delivery and a board member with United Way of Tarrant County.

'A lot of times we might think: ‘Hey, we're not spending any money at all on the homeless,' but if you look at the numbers, we're all spending roughly $30 million on housing, taking homeless people to hospitals, which the hospitals then let them out, something happens, and they go back,' to the hospital, Guyton said. 'We're not ever solving the problem. From the business standpoint, it makes sense. It will be cheaper to actually solve the problem.'

A solution to chronic homelessness – defined as a period of more than 12 months without a secure living environment – is a goal of the Directions Home plan the City of Fort Worth adopted this year.

The plan also aims to make homelessness rare, short-term and non-recurring by 2018, by providing a combination of housing and services."

Monday, December 22, 2008 in Fort Worth Business Press

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight