Last night while preparing for the show I came upon a story that reported that there are problems now at Tent City. I have to be completely honest, I laughed. Why did I laugh? Because it was so predictable that there would be problems over there. We all knew there would be problems even though the people at Carpenter's Church said otherwise.

The population of Tent City has now reportedly doubled in size to at least 70 people living there. Drugs and alcohol are being brought onto the property, and the police have been called out to Tent City just as recently as Wednesday. Those living at Tent City said that a man assaulted a woman on the property.

Tent City sounds like it's working so well doesn't it?

Anyone who says Tent City is a success needs a mental evaluation. The population continues to grow and more illegal activity is taking place. How is that success? Tent City is a failure of government and of those who continue to support it. We should not be encouraging people to live this way. By providing a tent, property, and food you just encourage this type of lifestyle for most of the residents.

Sure, there are some out there with mental problems that probably have no clue what is really going on, but I'm not talking about them. I'm talking about the ones who have made the decision to live in a tent for free, get free food, live by their own rules, and don't even search for a job. By letting Tent City continue we aren't giving people any motivation to better themselves. How is that helping them? Wouldn't it be better to provide a work training program? Wouldn't it be better to set a time frame for how long one can live there? That brings motivation and ultimately success.

I still believe churches and non-profit organizations are the one's that should handle the homeless issue in Lubbock. However, I would like to see the resources first be directed towards those who truly want and need help. I'm talking about those with real mental issues, the single mom who fell on hard times, and the family that fell on rough times, but they want to get out of the rut. The people we should focus on first are the ones who don't want to be homeless. Then we can worry about the people at Tent City and whether they have a tent or not.

70 people now live at Tent City. How long until that number is more than 120 and how exactly do people regard that as a success?

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