One of the issues involved with the ownership of land is homelessness. When it comes to homelessness, I have some experience. I have been living in my truck since July, and only recently found an apartment. This is not the only time I have had to endure the hardships of indigence, and it may not be the last. There are many resources to assist a person in need such as the food bank and shelters where you can get a shower and a spot to sleep out of the cold, however I leave that to folks in greater need, or without the abilities I possess. I am able bodied, therefore I can work. This is the main reason for topic of my blog .
I am trying to explore various ways a person can live without having to buy land or rent from someone. There are folks living in sewers, under bridges, in their cars, anywhere that will shelter them from the elements. Why do people have to live this way? There are generally multiple reasons a person succumbs to the hardships of living in the streets. Mental disorders, substance abuse, and unemployment are major causes for homelessness. How can people overcome this? Low income housing helps for those who have the means, but there are many who can't even afford that.
One organization, Occupy Madison, provides a solution to such a dilemma. The organization builds small 96 square foot homes with basic amenities to house individuals in the harsh weather of Wisconsin. However the tiny homes have to be placed on land by charitable organizations or churches. This is a nice approach, especially since the person who will reside in the tiny home helps build it.
Yet there are other cases that are without resolution, such as when a Huntington indigent camp was razed by local police under orders of Starlight Building Corporation. The unfortunate residents of the tent city, most of which were illegal immigrants, were left in the cold of a New England winter. There are shelters and programs that aid people in need, but most are for legal residents. I understand that the land was owned, and the landowners didn't want people living there, but isn't there a better way to do such a thing? Couldn't they have tried to find a way to house the people before turning them outThis is why I have difficulty coming to terms with how land is owned. Alas, that is the way the world turns.
Occupy Madison has an interesting idea. Especially cool is that the occupiers help to build their residence. I wonder though, who pays for the "basic amenities" they are provided? Do they fill a septic tank which needs to be emptied? Do they utilize pipelines someone had to pay to lay? What I mean is that no one lives for free in the modern world, we all make waste and need sustenance. I think in this same vein we are all expected to provide ourselves with shelter, though some people are unable.
ReplyDeleteI think there are plenty of ways that a homeless person can live without buying or renting property. When I was a student at Union College, I went with a group of students to go sing and have a sort of vespers with a group of homeless people who set up shop under the main bridge in down town Lincoln. These people basically moved into a deserted area that had no value or was abandoned. I find this kind of living sad especially when the person is incapable to go out and find food for themselves. I have seen where a younger man actually took in a homeless buddy just because that the man wasn’t able to provide for himself. It is amazing what some of these fellow homeless people will do!
ReplyDeleteI used to live in Glenwood Springs where there is a very large homeless community. Where I worked, many of them would come in and steal food, would knock things over and be overall drunk and disrespectful. Yet there were some who had college degrees, and were working 1 or more jobs, who chose to live in the hills throughout the year. Glenwood, being the main stop between vail and grand junction, had a lot of traffic, especially from hitch hikers who would stay for months at a time trying to find a lift to the next city. What I found most upsetting was a lot of these homeless individuals coming in and out of town were run-aways. One young couple admitting that the thing to do in California is drop out of high school, adopt a dog and live on the streets begging for change. This couple, not older then 17 years old, sported 2 dogs and a few back packs, yet they always had money and welfare checks.
ReplyDeleteI am curious what questions these sources raised for you, and how you would compare and contras these sources as well.
ReplyDeleteYou say "I am trying to explore various ways a person can live without having to buy land or rent from someone." Does that mean you are looking for alternatives to land ownership/rental? Or are you actually exploring why as a society/culture, we let so many people go homeless when we actually live in a wealthy nation?
Also, what kind of magazine/newspaper or other publication does your second source come from? What sort of bias or agenda might they have?
Have you read Into the Wild by John Krakauer? It's a non-fiction account of a young man from a privileged background who chose to live a "homeless" life, often "on the road."