Tent City To Shut Down This Week... So, Now What?

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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - As the City of Dallas prepares for the final shutdown this week of the homeless encampment known as Tent City, a question remains. Where will the hundreds of homeless go after they have been displaced? With many of the homeless shelters full, the housing options are limited.

Tanya Ragen, a downtown Dallas business owner and community leader, said that the city needs to come up with a short-term solution while addressing the long-term goal of finding permanent housing. Her suggestion is to use some available vacant buildings located throughout the city and county to serve the homeless.

This week, Ragen posted videos on social media suggesting that sites -- such as the former Naval Air Station Hensley Field in Grand Prairie, several former and vacant Dallas Independent School District buildings and the vacant Forest Park Medical Center in north Dallas -- could all be repurposed to serve the city's homeless.

"These could be used for everything from services to shelter to housing," Ragen said of the available properties. "I think there are a lot of different things that these buildings could be used for."

Some have criticized Ragen's plan, questioning her motivation. Ragen, along with many of her supporters, own real estate downtown. Ragen said that the issue of dealing with Dallas' homeless population should not be not a downtown concern. "The suggestion is, we take these facilities and spread them throughout the city, so we don't have a concentration in one area of the city," she said.