Is it time for a tent city in Dallas?

JG, anonymous:

Tent camps have never been legal in Dallas. A temp solution but workable if the city and highway dept were on board. Cheaper than jail too.

aigiarm, anonymous:

I can't believe there is even a debate about this. Why can't people live and sleep where they want? They are not bothering anyone.

Clay213, anonymous:

Not bothering anyone?

Let me guess.. you don't live anywhere near where they are sleeping?

Clay213, anonymous:

Again: Forced labor would shift these people from burden to benefit to society.

Clay213, anonymous:

When has it worked in history?

Always!

It's nothing but liberal guilt that has allowed this to become a problem in the first place.

Want to be homeless? Fine, but you aren't going to get any help or services unless you will work for them.

The Trinity River Project would be done by now.

Clay213, anonymous:

Want to pick through trash? How about you pick up the trash. Bam.. litter problem solved.

JG, anonymous:

Clay, you are an ass! You assume that everyone who is homeless is there by choice and able to work. That is not the case. Many of them already work, they just don't make a livable wage. What about the disabled and/or mentally ill? I guess we just need to euthanize them? Rick, I agree with you. This is going to get more serious and people will be taking desperate measures to survive.

Clay213, anonymous:

Plenty of work for the disabled.

Like the trash collection I already mentioned.

No reason a wheel chair can't double as a garbage truck.

Clay213, anonymous:

Liberal guilt has allowed a human blight to hold society's progress back.

It manifests itself in a lack of dignity. The great projects of the WPA would never be possible today because this human detritus would rather hide under a bridge pissing on itself than offer anything to society.

tx_dem41, anonymous:

Rick, I would also add that after blathering on about "liberal guilt", Clay goes on to laud the great projects of the WPA, an organization created by presidential order of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, one of the most "reviled" (by conservatives) liberals in history.

Clay213, anonymous:

No knowledge or understanding? I was on the streets for 2 years. I cooked and served thousands of meals for the homeless.

Their constant demand for handouts and 'spare change' while giving nothing in return has grown old.

Put'm to work or put'm in jail, but get them the hell off the street.

If they want to camp.. fine! We can build them camps!

Shove them in a train and get them out of here.

pabloindallas, anonymous:

Clay, based on your street experience, is it true that about half the people living "out" do so because they like it and want to?

Clay213, anonymous:

pablo: I would say that based on my experience in Boston, MA a large number of people 'living out' had the means to lift themselves out of that situation if they wanted to make that choice.

Like I did.

It's an insult to the people who work hard to better their own and their families lives. Wave after wave of immigrants came to this country and made something of themselves, where derelict scum seek only to be pampered and coddled. And they have their enablers and coddlers.

sigh, anonymous:

MY life, my actual breathing, is a gift of modern medical science. I take 8 carefully-balanced meds and 4 supplements to be a contributing member of society. When these meds go out of balance, I pop into the psych's office, $90 for 10 minutes but I don't have to pay. I take these meds every day at 8 am.

My medicines cost more than $900/month. Let me repeat that: $900 every month AT THE CADILLAC-INSURANCE-NEGOTIATED RATE. I have a loving but terrified spouse who will never be able to stop working and must not be laid off because I can't EXIST without his best-of-breed insurance.

Mine are not optional, "feel-better" meds; without them I'd be unable to get or keep a job, a female who's carless, then a female who's homeless, then a homeless female in a wheelchair, and then I would die, but not as soon as I wished.

If I am homeless in Dallas, every night is another round of misery. I cannot legally sleep in a park. I cannot legally sleep on a public sidewalk. I cannot legally sleep in a private building doorway without permission from the owner. I cannot legally sleep under a bridge. I cannot legally fall asleep in a chair in a public library. I cannot legally sleep in a privately-owned stand of trees. I cannot legally sleep on city-owned forested land.

There are 10,000 homeless people in Dallas, and less than 2,000 shelter beds. 8,000 people can't even get an indoors bed. Some of these shelters won't take me without $7 a night. At most of these shelters, I have to be out out the door at 5:45 a.m.

I cannot sleep in a shelter anyway because I might be knifed or my meds might be stolen while I sleep.

I urinate in public. Watch as you go about your day and list the location of every restroom that you have access to and I don't.

I cannot legally use a library sink to wash my body. I cannot legally get into a public library if I stink.

Being handicapped makes my situation hell.

To get medical attention, I have to carry everything I own, get to Parkland without a bus pass, wait up to 19 HOURS in Parkland Emergency Room [true story], get some (but not all 8) prescriptions.

Then without a bus pass, I get back to my "street husband," who tries his best to protect me from being RAPED, EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. How could I protect myself?

I "live" in a little collect under a bridge; it's too exhausting and humiliating being "moved on" by Dallas police several times a day then several times a night.

The collect, with my piece of cardboard to sleep on, is frequently, at random intervals, SCRAPED out of existance by City bulldozers.

My sleeping cardboard, my only change of underware, my only, thin blanket, STOLEN. I plead with a police officer to give back my medications as he holds them in his hand, but he tosses them. They seize everything from each of us. They plow our boxes and our cardboard and our backpacks and our sacks into a pile, then heap the pile it with more dirt, and move us on our way. Without my medications...

jtmbls, anonymous:

sigh - Thank you for giving us a glimps into what it is like to be "pampered and coddled". It sounds like Disneyland every day, just as specialclay suspected.

sigh, anonymous:

Dateline - Last Friday, March 6th, 2009

[There's a theis story before our story begins, about eating just one meal at The Bridge. The Bridge that was built as the City's brand-new, nationally-publicized flagship symbol of the City's 10-year program, that 10-year program that will end all homelessness in Dallas.]

As our story begins, to eat just a meal at this Bridge, you have to have an ID.

You have to have an ID to get a day pass. You have to apply for a day pass from the security guards guarding the barred gate, the gate to The Bridge. You hope that the guards will give you that day pass (they don't always), the day pass you have to have to be passed by the guards to get inside the gate, to go the dining room, the dining room where you can stand in line to eat, to eat breakfast or lunch. (No dinner, though dinner is served and you could eat... but that's a story for another day...)

As this story begins (not the story before the story), one homeless person... the person this story is about... this homeless person who is trying but has not yet managed to get out of being homeless, finally, finally after much time and effort, had received a copy of his birth certificate.

[Ever tried to get a state-stamped copy of your own birth certificate from the State? Did they mail you an application to your house? Did you have to pay money? Did they require a check or a money order? Did you have to pay extra for the money order? How far did you have to walk to mail your money and the application? How many telephone calls did you have to make? If you called, how many times were you transferred?]

This homeless person...remember, the homeless person this story is about?... He put this precious copy of the birth certificate inside his Bible for safekeeping, so he could use it to get a State of Texas ID, the Texas ID that could get him past the guards at The Bridge, the guards to let him inside the gate, to get inside to go into the dining room, into the dining room so he could stand in line, so he could eat breakfast or lunch.

On Friday, March 6th, 2009, City officials came for people "living" under the Combs Street Bridge.

Our homeless person, the homeless person this story is about, "lives" under this bridge. He happened to be away from his stuff that day because he was serving his community service hours, as restitution for a City citation. [One of the many possible citations based on City ordinances, ordinances created deliberately and shamelessly to force homeless people to stay on the move and out of your sight. That too is a story for another day.]

These City officials, they forced everyone under the Combs Street bridge, forced them to come out of their cardboard boxes, forced people sitting down to get on their feet, forced people standing up to start moving, and rounded all these people into a huddling group, TO stand a little ways away, watching helplessly as their possessions, every one of their possessions, were bulldozed. Those big bully bulldozers swept the ground clean, leaving one, just one, one big UNBELIEVABLE HEAP.

These criminally homeless, we can't call them citizens of Dallas-- hey, let's not even call them homeless people-- hell, let's not even call them people, These homeless people, each and every one of them, were allowed to keep their IDs. They lost everything else they had.

Remember the birth certificate? The one this ordinary guy, whom this story is about, with the copy of his birth certificate? His friend, present at the bulldozing ceremony, begged, begged, beggedto go get his Bible before the bulldozer fired up. She was refused. He finished his community service and came "home," and he had no birth certificate, For heartless officialdom... Let's all give a cheer.

bumwrapper, anonymous:

We have a homeless Czar who is a public relations person and well known for his toughness. He will go to any means to get what he wants which has proved to be successful for him in the corporate world. Ending homelessness is not a business venture and not something Michael Scott Rawlings had any real experience with when he was appointed the homeless czar. Dallas needs someone who has experience, sensativity and knows what would serve the best interests of the homeless. How does a person find this out? Does he ask the homeless what they need? No! Does he consult with local service providers on best practice in Dallas? No! Does he listen to anyone? No! We have an idividual with a huge ego who thrives on intimidating service providers, employees of The Bridge, homeless individuals, the Media, the MDHA Board, Crisis Intervention, DPD or anyone/anything who does not agree with him or might make the hotshot Czar look anything but good. Our hero for the homeless surrounds himself only with yes people!

MDHA President & CEO, Michael Matthew Faenza, former President and CEO of the National Mental Health Association, has had an impressive career in the mental health field. He has sensativity for those who are homeless and/or mental health issues. Problem is, he has no experience running an operation that services the homeless or extensive experience with the homeless at all. He was an unemployed and payed directly by the appointed homeless Czar as a consultant before the Bridge was even built and has his own mental health issues. Why the Czar pushed for hiring this man for the position at MDHA is an enigma other than he is easy to intimidate by Rawlings who is running the show at the Bridge and MDHA. Did he pay him as a consultant to get a crash course on mental health issues? What in God's name was he consulting about that would justify paying him almost $50,000 that was reimbursed to Rawlings by MDHA the following year? A consultant with very limited experience with the homeless population? Faenza is pulling down a fat salary from MDHA as compensation for being a yes man.

And then there is the Bridge Managing Director, David Jay Dunn, formerly a flunky at the Stewpot, who is known as the 'ghost' at the Bridge because the homeless rarely see him. He appears to be avoiding the population he is there to serve, is aloof and lacks sensativity. He also has no experience running a homeless center and had limited experience with the homeless population in his position at the Stewpot. What exactly does this guy do for the six figures he is being paid besides hiding in his office sucking on a cigarette?

We are quickly approaching the first birthday of the Bridge opening. It has been a roller coaster ride for the homeless with a learning curve beyond belief for the management. The homeless have suffered because of this but hey they are homeless non-persons, deserve no respect and have no rights! The three stooges, Rawlings, Faenza and Dunn will decide what is best for you so shut up and get in line! We will get to you sooner or later once you dig your way through the beaurocratic mess we have created for you. Whatever you do, don't complain because we will deny anything is not as it should be. You see, we go before the City Council and Mayor every few weeks and feed them lots of data and statistics about the miracles we are performing at the Bridge, wave it in front of the press for the public to see and that is the way it is going to be.

While you are waiting around remember we promise it will be worth the wait. We are going to provide housing for you that is affordable. We are not sure how, but it will be built sooner or later as soon as we find neighborhoods that will allow it to be built. Right now, there is a City Owned Hotel, Trinity River Project and Downtown Revitalization... that MUST be seen to first. In the meantime, just stay out of sight at the Bridge prison (if you can get past the gate) to avoid ending up in county jail since you seriously hamper the 'quality of life' for the tax paying, law abiding citizens of Dallas.

JG, anonymous:

sigh, please keep sharing. We need more of this reality. I had no idea that Dallas was bulldozing camps again. Why no press on this?

gzrs, anonymous:

JG,

Bulldozing camps 'again'? Sorry to say, they never stopped.

JG, anonymous:

Didn't a city in California recently lose a big lawsuit over this kind of activity? Maybe it is time for the ACLU to visit Dallas!

gzrs, anonymous:

JG,

If you have information about the lawsuit in CA, would you post it here?

I couldn't agree more about the ACLU. It's' past time.

JG, anonymous:

Fresno Homeless Residents Win Settlement Over City’s Destruction of Personal Property

http://www.aclunc.org/news/press_rele...

gzrs, anonymous:

Thank you, JG.

kingdomcountrymusic, anonymous:

As a mission director, I have come to realize that "homeless people" cannot be lumped into one catagory. No two situations are exactly alike. I believe that each person should be productive according to their own ability, not what they cannot do. Even a simple task that can be done repeatedly to benefit others. I truly believe their have been too many "career homeless" who have opted to avoid work by taking advantage of well intended folks who are not savvy to their manipulation. I also know many do travel from mission to mission, playing on the sympathy of others to get the handout they want. The way things are changing, we can expect to see many more homeless who are terrified and do not want to be in that position and need the love and generosity of others to lift them from the place they have either fallen or been knocked down to.

JG, anonymous:

I agree with what you are saying yet the larger part of the homeless population is not seen by most people. It is the visible homeless that create the stereotype many perceive as the whole of the homeless population. Yes they should work and most do some kind of work. There will always be people who play the system, homeless or not. So no, we cannot and should not lump them together as one. It is the difficulty people have escaping homelessness that most people have very little understanding of unless they personally see it or experience it themselves. Most people do escape it but it takes time and typically assistance from others.

JG, anonymous:

And may I add that cruelty does no one any good homeless or impoverished. Both segments get more of that than they deserve.

JG, anonymous:

Russ, I don't know the guys but it has to be a never ending challenge for all of them or anyone in their shoes.

gzrs, anonymous:

There's a first-hand account here by someone who was at the homeless camps this week after they were razed:

http://theintermittentvolunteer.wordp...

JG, anonymous:

gzrs, you indicate there is no place for these people to go yet we are told there are open shelter beds. Why do they choose to stay under a bridge living in a cardboard box if a warm dry bed is available?

gzrs, anonymous:

JG,

Thanks for asking. The idea that there are open shelter beds is a myth. It's simply not true. The numbers don't add up. There are more than 6000 homeless (and that's those which are counted in the annual homeless census -- some advocates think 10,000+ and going up), and there are 1300 shelter beds as a limit mandated by ordinance in Dallas.

Most of the people I know on the street have tried to go to shelters all this winter, since the courtyard closed for sleeping at the Bridge on December 1, 2008, and have not been able to get in.

The idea that there are plenty of shelter beds is disseminated as an excuse to do the sweeps.

However, this is not to say that there are not shelter-resistant homeless people. There are. Some of the reasons I hear for avoiding the shelters are: too much disease -- it's easy to catch viruses, etc.; theft of personal belongings; and one very important point is that you have to be in the shelters by around 4 PM to get a bed, and a lot of homeless individuals have jobs that prohibit them getting there by that time. And, of course, there is mental illness and other issues that make it difficult for people to comply with shelter rules.

That's why 'the answer' lies in 'permanent supportive housing', and lots of it.

It's a good discussion here. I appreciate your openness.

JG, anonymous:

If you really want to stay informed on the homeless issue this is a good site to check daily:

http://dallashomelessnetwork.blogspot...

Pegasus does not pick up all of their posts.

sigh, anonymous:

I get tired of this "why can't they get a job?" Put yourself in the situation I described further up. Wouldn't you have a substance abuse problem just to escape from continuous, unbelievable misery?

The SoupMobile recently placed a man in the first SoupMobile Village transition house. He had a serious felony and lived under a bridge for 17 YEARS because he couldn't get a job, and had an alcohol problem. Now he is free of substance abuse. He has a 35-hour a week job, is an incredibly hard worker, reliable, and enthusiastic. So don't tell me that "those no-goods working the system" can't succeed if given a chance.

RobertB, anonymous:

It pains me to agree with anything "Clay213" says, even in part. But perhaps there might be a way to bring back the concept of the "Poor Farm", as a place where those who want to work can work, and live in dignity.

Obviously, it couldn't be the sort of system that existed in the past, rife with abuse... it would have to combine the old concept of self-respect through labor with the new concepts of transparency and accountability.

The comment by "sigh" about the man who had few options because of a past felony should be a warning. We've decided that "lock 'em up" is the solution to every problem, from smoking pot to stealing cars to armed robbery to violent rape. As a result, everyone who comes out of prison (which they all do, eventually) is judged to be of the worst sort, unemployable, unable to live near any number of otherwise public facilities.

For 20 years or more, we've been storing up a big batch of instant homeless. If we don't do something constructive, the problem can only get worse.