Church Parking Lot Provides Safe Haven for Homeless Amid Police Crackdown
By day, the parking lot of First Presbyterian Church in downtown Dallas may seem like just another place where church congregants can park their vehicles. But by night, the parking lot becomes a safe haven for the city's homeless.
The church recently drew the attention of the city and the nation when it opened its parking lot to the homeless in response to a police crackdown on the homeless in Dallas.
According to The Associated Press, as many as 150 people are able to sleep in the church's parking lot without being moved by police or having their few possessions stolen. The nightly visitors to the church parking lot also benefit from the protection of a night security guard and two portable toilets provided by the church.
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The church said it took the step to open its parking lot after police began removing people found sleeping in public places as part of the city's "Operation Rescue" program.
Deputy Police Chief Vince Golbeck reported that "a majority of property crimes in downtown Dallas are caused by the homeless."
While the Rev. Joe Clifford admitted that there are "criminal elements within the homeless population," he emphasized that the homeless should not be approached as criminals.
"[I]t is a social problem and requires a societal response," he told AP.
Clifford said offering the church's parking lot is only a temporary solution until more options are available.
The current options are limited, according to Clifford, noting the city has more than 5,000 homeless people but only 1,300 available beds.
The city is set to unveil a $23.8 million homeless shelter in April that would offer 24-hour access to beds, restrooms, showers, job training and mental health treatment.
But the new facility is just one step forward by the city after years of harsh treatment against the homeless population. In the last few years, city officials have passed laws banning panhandling, restricting shopping carts on city streets and limiting where the homeless can be fed.
Several YouTube videos posted by Central Dallas Ministries, a Christian non-profit, feature first-hand accounts from homeless people who detail the difficulties they encountered with the city police.
"They just push us around from one area to another area, telling us to get out of downtown," said a former artist who became homeless after losing his sight.
National Coalition for the Homeless has labeled Dallas the sixth "meanest" city in the country for its approach to homelessness.
