8 July 27 - August 2, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents ▼ ANIMALS OVERCROWDED DOG DAYS OF SUMMER DALLAS ANIMAL SERVICES HAS HAD TOO MANY DOGS SINCE EARLY JUNE. BY JACOB VAUGHN D allas Animal Services is over capacity for dogs at its shelter. There were about 385 dogs at the shelter as of July 17, and only 300 kennels available for use. DAS put out a press release ahead of the Fourth of July holiday weekend saying it was over capacity, especially for large dogs, and needed help from the public. The city agency has to euthanize animals when it runs out of space, so it routinely ask people to adopt or foster when the shelter exceeds capacity. In the press release, DAS said it was offer- ing gift cards and veterinary vouchers while supplies lasted and waiving the adoption fee for all pets. The pets also come spayed/neu- tered, vaccinated and microchipped. Amanda Atwell, a spokesperson for DAS, told the Observer that the shelter is in better shape compared with earlier this month but that it still needs residents to adopt. . The agency has run out of gift cards, but the adop- tion fees are still waived and pets still come with a voucher for a free veterinary visit. The shelter takes in from 60 to 100 ani- mals each day. In 2018, DAS launched an ef- fort called BeDallas90 with the goal of guiding a majority of those pets to favorable outcomes and reaching a live release rate of at least 90%. That means at least 90% of the ani- mals found a new home and weren’t killed. DAS reached this goal in 2020, but it is currently lagging behind that figure. So far this year, it has reached a live release rate of only 76%. Atwell said the shelter has been as much as 40% over its dog capacity since early June, with the bulk of them being large dogs. She said rescues and shelters across the country are in a similar situation with their large-dog populations. Just last month, Operation Kindness in Carrollton temporarily slashed its adoption fee from $205 to $99 for dogs weighing over 40 pounds to encourage peo- ple to adopt larger dogs through June. A few weeks ago, DAS was almost at 100% capacity for cats, but has since been able to bring that number down to 33% with the help of adoptions, fosters and rescues. “Being over capacity puts a strain on shelter staff as well as the animals in our care,” At- well said. “Unfortunately when our num- bers are this high, we are forced to make some difficult decisions.” By difficult decisions, she means eutha- nizing animals. She said DAS works to mitigate capacity issues by pushing for more adoptions, fos- ters and rescue placements. Over the last week, the shelter was poised to have more placements than intakes, but it saw a partic- ularly high intake day on Sunday, when it re- ceived 70 dogs. “A couple days with this level of intake can drastically set back our efforts to get the shelter back under full capacity, while si- multaneously working towards our goal of BeDallas90,” Atwell said. “We continue to encourage the public to be a part of the solu- tion with us, and adopt, foster, volunteer or donate if you can.” Adoptable pets can be viewed online or in person, and adoptions can be completed at the DAS main shelter at 1818 N. Westmore- land Road. The shelter is open between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thurs- day and Friday; from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. ▼ CITY HALL TO GIVE OR NOT TO GIVE? DALLAS, OTHER NORTH TEXAS CITIES DON’T WANT YOU GIVING TO PANHANDLERS. BY SIMONE CARTER Y ou may have seen the signs cropping up in North Texas cities: “Don’t give money to panhandlers,” they advise. For those of us raised on Texan values of friendship and kindness, this directive may come as a surprise. Some support the signs’ framing, but others say it works to further stigmatize an already marginalized group. The city of Dallas tweeted out a similar instruction last week. “Giving spare change from the window of our cars may seem like a quick fix, but it of- ten perpetuates the cycle of poverty and homelessness,” the post reads. “Our Give Responsibly campaign urges everyone to think twice before handing out cash on the street.” A flyer accompanying the city’s post urges people to “give responsibly to Dallas residents experiencing homelessness.” Clicking on the image’s QR code takes you to the city’s Office of Homeless Solutions web- site, where you can make donations. The office advises readers that offering spare change or a meal “inadvertently encour- ages individuals to continue illegally solicit- ing.” Basically, they argue, it’s a temporary fix — like slapping a Band-aid on a gaping wound or perhaps eating a meal when one is hungry. In late June, a user in a Dallas Reddit group posted a photo of an anti-panhandling sign, which some commenters said stands in Irving. It reads: “Soliciting is not safe. Change the way you give. Give to your local charities.” It’s not just a Texas thing, though. Signs with similar messaging have cropped up in cities across the country — from Rapid City, South Dakota, to Scottsdale, Arizona. Other North Texas cities have unveiled similar sentiments, including Plano and Ar- lington. The latter introduced signs that say: “Contribute to the solution. It’s OK to say no to panhandlers.” Wayne Walker, CEO of the faith-based nonprofit aid group OurCalling, agrees. “It doesn’t really support helping some- one get off the streets,” he said. “Often what it can do is reward them for staying there and asking [for money], and being in that spot on a regular basis.” He argued that the cash going to longtime panhandlers clearly isn’t helping them get off the streets. Instead, panhandling is essen- tially their job, Walker said, pointing out that some folks have taken in significant amounts. It’s one thing to hand out water or granola bars, Walker said. Those items are good to help people survive the brutal heat. Nonethe- less, it’s important to emphasize more viable solutions like contributing to charities; pass- ing out sandwiches helps in the moment, but it doesn’t solve the problem of where the un- housed will find their next day’s meal. The way Walker sees it, giving money di- rectly to panhandlers does more to “enable” them to maintain the status quo rather than help them overcome homelessness. “If you’re looking for long-term needs, if you’re looking to actually help them get off the streets, then that’s a completely different conversation than passing 10 bucks out your window,” he said. Over the past two decades or so, the Dal- las-Fort Worth-Arlington region has seen a major affordable housing crisis, said Han- nah Lebovits, an assistant professor of plan- ning and public affairs, who has a doctorate in urban and public affairs. The issue has left many people unable to access secure hous- ing, contributing to a spike in the socially vulnerable population. Most unhoused people would rather re- main “privately vulnerable,” such as by liv- ing in their car or a storage unit, or by going to a shelter, she said. Yet when those options run out — whether because of capacity con- straints or their own behavior — they’ll be- come “publicly vulnerable.” “We only tend to see them right towards the end, when they are finally reaching out to the general public to say, ‘Hey, can some- one help me? I can’t get help any other way,’” Lebovits said. “When we see panhan- dlers on the street, that’s who we see.” Simply put, these people have run out of other options, she explained. To Lebovits, anti-panhandling signs falsely suggest that the homeless are inten- tionally not seeking aid. But the reality is that there’s a huge gap in services. Even if panhandlers were to have a good day — say, passersby were feeling generous on a Sunday — the money raised isn’t part of the formal economy, she said. They still don’t have pay stubs or an employer to put on their resume. That cash won’t carry the same eco- nomic benefit as a regular job. How can one rent an apartment without proof of income? Criminalizing the homeless won’t help them get off the streets any sooner, Lebovitz added. “There are more kind and understanding and nuanced ways to discuss this issue,” she said. “And leaving up signs, which create a false narrative and which imply that people should essentially not be charitable and kind to individuals who they see struggling, is not the way to go.” ▼ JUSTICE JUVENILE ISOLATION STATE INVESTIGATES DALLAS COUNTY JUVENILE PROBATION DEPARTMENT. BY JACOB VAUGHN T he Office of the Inspector General for the Texas Juvenile Justice Depart- ment Governing Board has launched an investigation into the Dallas County Ju- venile Probation Department. In a letter earlier this month, the office notified the de- partment that the investigation was based on “complaints and inspection findings by the Texas Juvenile Justice Department’s Monitoring and Inspections Division.” “The OIG investigation is a broad review of neglect allegations associated with the detention of juveniles within the Dallas County Juvenile Detention Center,” Chief Inspector General Daniel Guajardo said in his letter, according to WFAA. The investigation comes just weeks after The Dallas Morning News reported on con- ditions of Dallas’ Henry Wade Juvenile Jus- tice Center. According to the News, parents said their children were being left in their cells for a majority of the day, they’re not getting fed enough and some have not re- ceived needed medical care. Darryl Beatty, director of the juvenile de- tention department, didn’t respond to a re- quest for comment but told the News in a previous statement before the investigation was launched that he wasn’t aware of the re- ported conditions at the juvenile justice cen- ter, adding that a shortage of guards could be a contributing factor. David Finn, a local attorney who works ju- venile cases, told the Observer that he’s had cli- ents held in isolation for extended periods of time. “The juvenile system is broken in Dal- las,” Finn said. “It’s been bad, but it Lauren Daniels Dallas wants drivers to deny to panhandlers. Unfair Park from p6 >> p10
