SAN DIEGO — Déjà Vu Showgirls is in the business of adult entertainment, but in a city dealing with an unprecedented homeless crisis, they want to be known for a lot more than just a strip club by having their name plastered on tents in homeless encampments across the City of San Diego.
Déjà Vu Showgirls manger Chris Ragsdale said the company handed out 200 pink branded tents after seeing the problem hit close to home.
“This time of year, it is really cold. There are a lot of people here that I did not realize were homeless until we gave them a leg up,” he said.
Some, however, are calling the Déjà Vu Showgirls logo on tents shameless.
“It is not like we are afraid of it, but at the same time, I just don’t think it is the right way to do things,” said one man.
The City of San Diego is also not a fan. A spokeswoman suggested the club might be better off investing in non-profits “to get people off the streets and into permanent housing.”
“It has brought light to the situation. Whether a marking tool or not, you have brought light to a situation that has been exacerbated by the state that does not have a handle on what is going on,” said Ragsdale.
The City of San Diego said it is working on a number of homeless initiatives. It provided a seven-page document detailing what it is doing to take people off the streets.