Dallas' homeless czar outlined a plan on Monday to build 700 homes for chronically homeless people throughout the city within five years – at an estimated cost to taxpayers of $7.2 million to $18 million.

An additional $16.8 million would be needed from city and other sources to provide social services for people living in those homes.

The housing's actual cost would depend on the type of financing available, Mike Rawlings, who oversees solutions to homelessness for the city, told the City Council's Housing Committee.

The committee voted unanimously to recommend that the City Council consider the plan at a Sept. 10 meeting.

Some council members expressed concerns about potential neighborhood opposition to such projects and said community education would be needed.

The goal is to build provide permanent supportive housing, which is housing that comes with social services to help disabled, long-term homeless people remain stable.

Mr. Rawlings said the housing is needed to end chronic homelessness and alleviate overcrowding at the city's new downtown shelter, The Bridge.

"We're making huge progress. But the real answer is permanent supportive housing," he said. "The biggest myth is that homeless people don't want a home."

The housing is part of a national "housing first" movement to combat homelessness by providing people with homes rather than the traditional system in which many homeless cycle through shelters, hospitals or jails. Studies have shown that it's less expensive to provide housing than to have people live on the streets. Increased permanent supportive programs in recent years have been credited with helping reduce chronic homelessness nationwide.

Under the proposal, the city would pay for the housing with a portion of the proceeds from bonds issued for all city housing initiatives. That could generate potentially $10 million, although an exact amount has not yet been determined, city Housing Director Jerry Killingsworth said.

Some Housing Committee members expressed concern about their constituents' reactions to such projects.

Council member Carolyn Davis said Fair Park residents in her district strongly opposed a recent proposal to build 150 units of permanent supportive housing in their neighborhood.

"The community spoke and said they did not want this facility in the district," she said. "It comes to a point, colleagues, that the community comes first."

Ms. Davis said everyone needs to work together to find another site for that project.

City Council member Angela Hunt said it would cost the city more in the long run not to provide the housing.

A city report that said it would cost $27 a day to provide permanent supportive housing to a person, as opposed to $35.70 a day in Dallas County Jail or $375 in a state mental hospital.

"We're going to pay for it either way. At the end of the day, isn't it smarter for us to pay at the front end and pay less?" Ms. Hunt said. "Permanent supportive housing is one of the biggest keys to addressing homelessness in our city, and we've got to put the funding behind it."