08:15 PM CDT on Saturday, April 23, 2005

The good news: After much debate, Dallas has finally selected a downtown site for the homeless assistance center.

The bad news: People are more scared than ever of going downtown.

Have we won a battle and lost the war here? I sure hope not.

Maybe my fears are exaggerated. But I know that if I only saw news stories about the downtown homeless problem, I might never venture anywhere near the place.

But it so happens that I'm downtown almost every day. In fact, this newspaper's offices are on the side of town said to have the greatest homeless problem. I could almost chuck a rock and hit one of the largest shelters.

And here's the honest-to-goodness truth: The homeless are no problem at all.

Oh, a disheveled fellow might occasionally ask me for some change. But I decline with a smile and a "sorry." And that's the end of it. I have never been hassled or felt threatened in any way.

More commonly, my heart is pierced as I see some unfortunate soul stumbling along, afflicted with addiction or mental illness or both. That's painful, but not a problem. In fact, it's probably healthy to be reminded of misery that exists in the world -- and of my own good fortune.

Now, I know a few readers are chewing nails right now. I'll hear from them. They are the ones who have businesses or homes where the homeless really do make a nuisance of themselves -- passing out in doorways, urinating in alleys and so forth.

That's disgusting, and we ought not tolerate it. We owe it to the homeless to treat them as civilized people -- and to demand civilized behavior.

But again, that aspect of the much ballyhooed "homeless problem" affects very few people in very few places. We need to address it, but it sure shouldn't scare people away from downtown.

You will really think I've lost my mind, but in truth, the homeless can be downright charming.

Don't take my word for it. Ask Alysa Teichman. She's an 18-year-old high school senior who has spent the last year working on a research project about homelessness in Dallas.

"I began by going to the downtown library and taking home a stack of 25 books," she told me last week.

"But after about an hour of reading them, I realized that I couldn't learn about the homeless from a book."

So she returned the books to the library and went instead a few blocks away -- to The Stewpot. It's one of the city's major outreaches to the homeless. And from her first visit, Alysa was captivated.

"My research has been talking with and getting to know these people," she said. "And what I learned is that homeless people are not 'homeless people,' they are real people."

The girl from Greenhill School has become a regular at The Stewpot. That's where we visited last week. "This place is awesome," she said.

In trying to narrow her project, Alysa focused on an art class there for the homeless. And gradually, the observer became a partner.

Alysa visited The Stewpot last week to show her new friends the boxed sets of notecards that she produced featuring their art.

"I love it. I love it a lot," Charles Facial said on seeing his showy peacock painting rendered in note card form. He studied it awhile, then turned to Alysa. "Thank you," he said.

(The note cards can be ordered at www.alysasfriends.com. All proceeds benefit The Stewpot.)

"My project evolved into something more," Alysa said. "I want my friends and the public to see -- these are just people."

Don't let those people scare you away from downtown. It's a great day to visit the Farmers Market. Shop for flowers and shrubs in the adjoining area.

Granted, you might see some homeless people. Think of them as Alysa's friends.