Fence at Central Expressway and Lovers Lane. Photo by Renee Umsted.

A chain-link fence was installed at the southeast corner of Lovers Lane and N. Central Expressway to prevent encampments.

Sign up for our newsletter

* indicates required

Eventually, the fence will become a permanent art wall, the result of a collaborative effort by the University Crossing Public Improvement District, DART and the Office of Homeless Solutions, according to a City Council District 14 newsletter.

We’ll know more about the art wall closer to when the project is implemented.

At a recent community meeting, neighbors were asked not to give money to panhandlers, as this could encourage panhandling, but instead to give to charities, according to the newsletter.

The Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance estimates that about 4,410 people experience homeless in Dallas and Collin Counties. Black individuals are disproportionately affected, accounting for 54% of the homeless population.

The City of Dallas is working to increase shelter capacity, create temporary homeless centers with warming and cooling centers, continue the Landlord Subsidized Leasing Program and develop new supportive housing, the Lake Highlands Advocate reports.

Neighbors can use 311 to report an outdoor encampment where people have “created structures to provide primary, daily, slept-in and inhabited living quarters on vacant lots, under bridges, wooded areas, etc.”