The DMN has a heart-wrenching story about the homeless camp problem in Dallas.There's got to be something that can be done. I know that the new homeless shelter will have an open area, but we've got to do something about the people that live in the homeless camps.
The story references "Dignity Village" a city-sanctioned open-air camp. Here is their website, their myspace page, and their wiki. It looks like the homeless have built little shacks to accomodate themselves.
The land abutts the Portland International Airport and two country clubs. Click the picture to read the community rules.
The residents have set up their own government and well, as they have regular "Council Meetings." The residents build each other furniture, and they cook for one another. After their homes become too run-down they are recycled and rebuilt. Local volunteers have built structures as well.
Does this place really look that bad? I'll always remember the homeless person I met when we had a community meeting for forward Dallas. He was as intelligent as anyone there. Sure, his clothes were run down and his glasses were broken but he is still a HUMAN BEING!Can this be done in Dallas? I'm not sure. However, we are all God's people, and we must all be afforded the opportunity to live with dignity.
4 comments:
I was honestly really disappointed with the story. It's true that at the very end they speak about the homeless as real people, but most of the article talks about people almost as caricatures.
Thanks for sharing the Portland example. It does seem that some new, creative approaches are needed if we're really going to serve people where they're at.
There is no rason for any person with monthly income to live on the street. There are housing programs for them. I do not think The City of Dallas will grant that type of use of city owned land or private with the present City Attorney. There is a shortage of housing in Portland but not in Dallas. The City recieves enough money from HUD to house people but you must remember there is no LAW that can make a homeless person move into a house or apartment. As the person who moved the I-45 homeless camp the problem is much more then the naked eye can see.
Michael, I am very interested in your comments... there is a SPECTACULAR book by Shaugnessy Bishop-Stall called "Down to This: Squalor and Splendor in the Big City" that deals with this issue. Toronto, Canada had a similar problem and the homeless erected "tent city" on some Home Depot owned land in the heart of downtown. The author of the book went to live there among the homeless and ended up writing a brilliant book which has a ton of insight into the issues. It is a Canadian book and can be hard to get but email me and I will get my personal copy to you if you are interested. I wish it had been released here because I think that it should be mandatory reading for homeless advocates and naysayers alike! kldietrich@gmail.com. By the way, keep up the great work!!
I am now homeless in Dallas - I have a dog that I don't want to leave behind so I don't want to go to a shelter. I have searched and searched for places to camp and the least expensive spot I've found so far is $240 per month. The problem is - even if I could make $240 per month the campground is so far from Dallas that there is no transit to get to work.
Desperate in Dallas
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