A new business in the homeless encampment near downtown Dallas has prompted concern from a community organization.
Last month, a makeshift store popped up outside one of the tents, which are all beneath Interstate 45 in Dallas. The business, run by a homeless man and his girlfriend, immediately caught the attention of the Rev. Wayne Walker.
"It communicates a need here that's not being met," said Walker.
Walker's church, Our Calling Church, provides services to the homeless on a daily basis. In recent months, he's noticed a surge in donations being made directly from the public to the homeless. As a result, he believes many of the people there are purposely residing in the encampment, living off free meals, and finding money-making opportunities, such as the store.
"I meet guys who have housing options who stay here because of 20 meals a day, truckloads of clothes," said Walker. "The store over there, they may go buy the stuff from Sam's and resell it here. But it communicates that this is an actual community. The homeless believe they've setup a neighborhood."
The store's owner doesn't dispute Walker's claim. According to Vince Preston, many of the people residing in the so-called "Tent City" have come to rely on him for food.
"We just sell soda and chips and single cigarettes," said Preston. "So far it's not really profitable. We're breaking even."
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Preston said he purchases all the items from a local store for about $100 per week. He then resells them to people within Tent City at a fraction of the cost. According to him, he makes about $130 a week, enough to continue buying more supplies.
"Basically, it keeps us in laundry money. We're able to get on the bus with a bus ticket," said Preston.
But Walker hopes that income will soon come from something more stable. In May, the city of Dallas is scheduled to begin moving people out of Tent City, closing it down for good.
"In the 15 years I've been crawling under bridges in Dallas I've never seen the city allow an encampment to get this big," said Walker. "It needs to change."
