Was it really a panacea?

 

When the multi-million dollar The Bridge Homeless Shelter was opened in Dallas in 2008, it was to be the panacea for Dallas' homeless problems. Now, just four years later, it appears that maybe it wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

 

The city is contemplating contributing $950,000 to the $1.35 million cost to renovate the shelter. The outdoor pavilion will be enclosed to try to keep the homeless from wandering the streets nearby. It seems they are constantly complaining about the heat and the cold there. The entrance will be switched to the opposite side of the building from where it currently is. It seems business owners in the area and the Farmers Market vendors are plagued by panhandlers, drug dealers, and prostitutes. But the business owners on the side of the building that will now be the entrance aren't too happy. Mike Sarimsakci owns property to the west of the building, and he said the city hasn't said how they'll handle the problems on his side.

It sounds to me as if Dallas still has a homeless problem -- they're just shifting it from one spot to another.

 

"Shelter to move entrance, enclose pavilion." The Dallas Morning News; December 6, 2012; p. 3B.