Chrome Gypsy Tattoo Las Vegas Body Piercing - Las Vegas Tattoo Studio - Chrome Gypsy Tattoo in Las Vegas

              LAS VEGAS - Driving around town, you may have seen some homeless people sporting nicely pressed t-shirts with the phrase "a lot or a little, anything helps" printed on the front.

Printed underneath and on the back are ads for Chrome Gypsy Tattoo. The business came up with the idea of giving the t-shirts to homeless people for free.

           "It's kind of like I'm doing them a favor, and they're doing us a favor," said Chrome Gypsy Tattoo owner Cleen Rock One. "When we pull up to them, we're like, ‘Hey what's up? You want a water or a soda or cigarette?' Of course, they're already begging, so they're like, ‘Yeah sure.' But I'm like, ‘You gotta' do me a favor. Wear this shirt. Every time we see you with this shirt, we're gonna' take care of you.' They're like, ‘Best offer I got all day.'"

         Cleen Rock One says other corporations can purchase the shirts and advertise their business.

Linda Lera Randle El, a homeless advocate with Straight from the Streets, questions the free shirts that double as advertising. She says the shirts encourage panhandling and border on exploitation.

"After almost three decades of working on this issue and studying this issue, I'm not really fond of the idea," she said. "He's getting advertisement. His shirts are advertising his business but also giving them license to panhandle in style instead of the old cardboard sign."

            Cleen dismisses that argument and says he doesn't see anybody else taking time out of their day to help.

"They can say all they want, but on the same note, I'm giving them a clean shirt to wear," he said.

       The t-shirt advertising is through GorillaBum.com which is also owned by the same owner of Chrome Gypsy Tattoo.

Straight from the Streets suggests if businesses really want to help, they should work with agencies and programs that actually work to reduce homelessness.

Aug 11, 2011 11:00 PM PDT