Tent City

In Dallas, homelessness has been in the headlines in recent months. The homeless population is going up and the city has been struggling with solutions. KERA’s Stephanie Kuo has been following this issue for many months, and she talked with Eric Aasen.

A commission presented a report to the Dallas City Council yesterday with possible solutions on ending homelessness in the city. Some council members were disappointed and divided about what to do. 

The city of Dallas has shut down Tent City, the homeless camp under Interstate 45 near downtown and Deep Ellum. Over the past few weeks, officials have helped hundreds of people move out. Caseworkers are helping homeless people prepare for life away from the highway underpass, but many of them face an uncertain future.

Dallas officials have shut down Tent City, the homeless encampment under I-45 near downtown. The nearly 300 tents are gone, the trash and debris have been cleared, and the city has fenced off the area. It's a bit quieter now than it was months ago.

The deadline to close Tent City in Dallas is May 4. As hundreds of homeless men and women leave life from under the interstate, the difficult task will be to keep them off the streets. Advocates and researchers say the city's response to finding them permanent housing is largely inadequate.

With homelessness surging in North Texas, and Dallas debating a plan to shut down a makeshift Tent City, CEO Larry James of the nonprofit CitySquare says he remains "quietly optimistic." 

The homeless population in Dallas and Collin counties is up 24 percent from last year. That’s according to officials at Tuesday’s annual State of the Homeless address.

2015 was a good year for Matthew Newman. The Dallas entrepreneur decided to give back today by hosting a catered lunch for the residents of Tent City, a sprawling homeless encampment under the I-45 freeway in downtown Dallas.