New Camping Ban in Texas Can Make Life Worse for the Homeless in Dallas

 The Minister of OurCalling Wayne Walker use to help the homeless around Dallas by providing them with supplies and camping. Later he realizes that the more important thing to do is to provide them shelter.

Credit: Dallas Observer

The Camping ban was according to a bill passed on 1^st Sept 1925. According to this, no one should give tents, bedrolls, sleeping bags, blankets nothing of such kind to the homeless.

General Ken Paxton even sent a letter to ensure enforcement of the law in Dallas and other parts that include Austin, Houston, Plano, Corpus Christi, and San Antonio.

They argue that an unprecedented $358 million in federal funding has been allocated by the federal government to help the homeless in their communities. In August, the state made $52.9 million more available to service providers, and another $100 million is on the way. Also, the federal government provided more than $92 million in CARES Act funds for homeless service providers in the state, according to the letter.

The Texas Department of Public Safety will closely monitor the House Bill 1925 in the months to come the letter warned. The spokesperson reportedly said, “Enforcing the public camping ban in good faith will be greatly appreciated. As a result, we will be able to achieve our common goal of providing better services for the homeless and safer communities for everyone.”

Walker, Ahmadian, and several other homeless advocates spoke in favor of the initiative despite its lack of affordable housing.

“It is important for people to see the homeless camps,” says Ryan Ahmadian, co-founder of the Dallas Houseless Committee and member of Dallas Stops Evictions in Dallas. Ahmadian is concerned that the camping ban will further marginalize the homeless population.

The Dallas Real-Time Rapid Rehousing initiative recently received final approval from the county. More than 2,700 people will be in supportive housing over the next two years as part of a 70-million-dollar plan. The money comes from both private and public sources.

It is the goal of Dallas teams to enroll every unsheltered homeless person into their system and provide on-site needs identification so they can find housing. After this, the city intends to remove the tents permanently.

A growing number of homeless people are turning up at the Austin Street Center. It is a homeless shelter in Dallas. They all are hoping to find a place to stay. As a result of COVID-19, the eviction moratorium has been lifted, and rapid rehousing is not operational.

As OurCalling's Wayne Walker points out, banning camping isn't the best solution. What if, instead of punishing people who are sleeping on the streets because they have nowhere else to go to, we punished the cities that don't provide them with places to sleep?

Share your thoughts on this with me in the comments. I’d love to hear from you.