Nearly two-thirds of respondents in a poll conducted by The Dallas Express said they support limiting the homeless and vagrant population to a specific area where services are offered rather than allowing them to roam the city.
By a large majority — 65 versus 35% — respondents agreed with the statement, “Do you support a plan to require the homeless and vagrants to occupy only one small specific area of town where all the homeless services are located, instead of roaming wherever they like?”
Along Columbia Avenue, residents expressed support for such a plan after telling of their frustration with the growing number of homeless and vagrants, relating stories of verbal harassment, unsanitary conditions, and violence.
“If we locate them in a central location, that will make it more convenient for the homeless to receive the services they need and make our neighborhood more pleasant,” said resident Pablo Nieto, 37.
He said that when shopping at certain stores along Columbia Avenue, customers are faced with panhandlers. During a recent outing to a Mexican restaurant with his son and daughter, Nieto recalled trying to shield his children as a homeless man walked around without pants.
If Dallas had a one-stop homeless and vagrant service center, that man could receive the clinical help he obviously needs, said Nieto, adding he had a “very uncomfortable” talk with his six-year-old daughter after the incident.
Max Bower agrees with the idea of a central location for the homeless and vagrants to stay and receive help. He called the idea a “win/win” for his neighborhood and vagrants walking the streets.
The homeless and vagrants would receive the attention needed, and the neighborhoods along Columbia Avenue would improve, he said.
One neighborhood improvement, he said, is that fear would disappear. When asked for an example, Bower said his wife fears the stoplight at the corner of Columbia Avenue and Munger Boulevard after dark.
There is a highly aggressive vagrant who walks up to cars asking for change, according to Bower. When a driver refuses, the vagrant starts insulting them, Bower recounted, or sometimes stands in front of vehicles, not letting them move.
“I don’t think he is terrorizing this area, but giving [the man] a place where he can get the help he needs is a win for him and us,” Bower said.
For an example of how a one-stop homeless and vagrant service center might work, Dallas leaders need to look no further than San Antonio’s Haven for Hope, a 22-acre “transformational campus” that offers a plethora of services for homeless or vagrant individuals and families.
At Haven for Hope, the homeless and vagrant population has access to three meals daily, a safe place to sleep, shower facilities, and medical care. They can also receive help with mental health, substance abuse, job training, and earning their GED certificate. Haven for Hope also assists the homeless and vagrants in obtaining social security and military benefits, if they qualify.
In an interview with The Dallas Express, the organization’s Director of Communications, Terri Behling, said cities such as Dallas can mirror Haven for Hope by “bringing together community organizations that serve those experiencing homelessness and getting the ‘buy-in’ from your community.”