A Bold Plan to House Dallas Homeless on a Military Base is Gaining Ground

A former naval base outside Dallas may become the new home for the hundreds of homeless people displaced by the city’s clear-out of Tent City.

By Alain StephensMay 4, 2016 12:24 pm, ,

Through our partners at KERA North Texas, we’ve been reporting on Dallas’ push to clear out what’s been called Tent City – a sprawling homeless encampment downtown, near Deep Ellum and the Cedars neighborhood.

The move is imminent, so where will the homeless go? A local businessman sent a 20-page proposal to the mayor of Dallas, which some advocates for the homeless say deserves serious attention.

Michael Sitarzewski, president of the Cedars Neighborhood Association president, suggested relocating the homeless to an old military base. He’s calling the plan Dignity Field and says there are government avenues to repurpose vacant buildings for housing.

“It’s a 730-acre military base,” he says. “Of that, about 350 acres is available. It’s several times the size of the old Tent City, which of course housed everyone.”

What you’ll hear in this segment:

– How the plan will consolidate services for the homeless in a single area, rather than just putting them out of sight

– Who among Dallas homeless advocacy groups has weighed in

– What this plan could mean for long-term placement for the city’s homeless population

Prepared for web by Hannah McBride.