Last week, the city of Dallas shut down the "Tent City" homeless "encampment" that had grown up underneath the I-45 highway bridges. As the population grew, so did reports of violence. Two murders earlier this year were the last straw for city officials, who set a deadline to have the camp emptied out by last Wednesday. The problem is, there was no plan for what happened after homeless people cleared out. The Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance aided in the transition for those who wanted help, but they haven't offered a long-term solution either.

Men entering Tent City last year. Photo by Nathan Hunsinger/Dallas Morning News.

Those who didn't move into transitional or permanent housing made their way to area homeless shelters, but those shelters are stretched to capacity as it is. Clearing out a homeless encampment does little to solve the problem of homelessness, and it does absolutely nothing for those who want to stay out on the streets. Tent City may have been the only home they've known for a long time, despite the danger. They had neighbors and a code of conduct, a society all of their own. Others want to reincorporate into mainstream society.

Some weren't ready to give up on the place they considered home. Photo by GJ McCarthy/Dallas Morning News.

Local businessman Michael Sitarzewski has proposed using a decommissioned Naval air base near Grand Prairie as the site for a kind of managed homeless encampment. Sitarzewski's proposal includes an open air camping ground as well as boarding houses and small houses for individual use. He hopes those who make use of the open area will eventually choose to transition into more permanent accommodations. Sitarzewski means well, but advocates for the homeless believe permanent housing should be available in Dallas proper.

Michael Sitarzewski

Helping those who do want a roof over their heads takes more long-term thinking; otherwise, all you do is mitigate the problem. I'm a believer in the proverb "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime," meaning if you just give someone money or food, you only help them in the short term. The better kind of charity is to give someone the tools, knowledge and skills they need to survive and succeed in life. Providing someone food, shelter and clothing is only a start. For some homeless people, the stigma attached to mental illness or addiction tends to keep them from seeking help. The more effective organizations help people get into rehab or find counseling and/or job skills training. They recognize that throwing people out like garbage and saying "not in my backyard" is not a solution and want their beneficiaries to feel like human beings again.