WHY COMMUNITIES
If one looks around, the homeless seem to be every where from the slums and back streets to the very best and quite affluent neighborhoods. The latest government figures indicate poverty in the U.S. is now 15%, the highest it has been since 1965 when then President Lyndon B. Johnson ""DECLARED WAR ON POVERTY." This represents 47 million people of working age (18 59 64) unemployed and not receiving unemployment benefits. Imagine an entire city much larger than Los Angeles without work or any source of income. Since 1965, America has lost a major military conflict (in Vietnam), and it would seem we have also lots the war on poverty. A further chilling though is that 15% or 47 million people is probably quite a low estimate at best. If you have already fallen into the category or soon will, are you or will you be counted in these statistics? How many people in this category are not counted?
It is true thant much is being done to help the homeless. Numerous organizations provide food, clothing and shelter. Between free food donated to the poor and dumpster diving, hunger is not really a problem. Nutrition is another issue and may very well be a problem for most homeless people. Clothing is not really a problem either. Fortunately a great many people donate used clothing, and a poor and homeless person can dress as well if not always ass properly as ever. For example, winter coats for the coming cold weather are now on the display racks of most all clothing stores from K Mart to Nieman Marcus. They are not yet to be found on the racks at donation centers.
Shelter is another issue altogether. True, a lot of free shelter is being offered; however, while not as bad as Auschwitz or Dachau or Changi and other camps in Europe and Asia during World War II, it is probably not as good as that found in concentration camps found in the same period in America. The most famous was probably Manzanar in California's Mojave desert. That difference is largely due to the type of camps and the character of the Americans of Japanese decent interned there. From what I have seen and heard of shelters in Las Vegas (Are they any better in other cities?), I prefer taking my chances living on the streets. That is why I believe it is up to homeless people to organize a bootstrap effort to build communities of tents.
A community is a place where people can feel part of something rather than feeling isolated and alienated from society as they are as homeless street people.
These communities should be fairly small in size, but large enough to have clout. They should offer free food to guarantee an adequate daily diet both calorie and nutrition wise. They should offer a bit of private space both indoors and out. They should also offer opportunities for people to explore dreams and become self-sustaining. Here are some examples:
The community would provide only adequate nutrition at breakfast and dinner. This leaves an opportunity for free enterprise if some people want to dry having a sandwich shop open for lunch or even breakfast and dinner to people in the community affluent enough to buy a meal if they like. A person might start selling coffee and build up to selling snacks, sodas and even meals. Eventually the person may have an opportunity and the skills needed to open a licenced restaurant outside the community.
People working in the community mess-hall would be learning skills which could translate to a job in a hospital or other institutional cafeteria or even opening a commercial food enterprise of their own.
A person who likes to sew or do handcrafts might spend time making things which can be sold to other community residents or on 3-bay.
Have you ever wanted to be a writer? Well, Ernest Hemming way started as a newspaper journalist, and here is your chance. You are invited to send contributions, such as, news (newspaper and magazine articles you know about, as well as news you have gathered) related to homeless issues, event announcements, book and movie reviews, useful websites, poetry, recipes, etc. to this newsletter. The addresses are michaelcoymailto:michaelcoy2@yahoo.com, michaelcoy91@yahoo.com and 2mcmichaelcoy@gmail.com.
Being unemployed but living in a community rather than on the streets provides a permanent address to enable people to regularly receive mail and have such things as a library card. It may even be possible for community residents to receive student loans and grants to to improve their job marketability. Even if one opts not to pursue a formal college education, a library card is a key to self-education. A community is quite likely to need para-legals, security guards, etc.
The point is that a community such as I have in mind offers opportunities. As long as the person is or becomes competent at their chosen line of work or profession, they will not need licences and permits until they ex0pand to doing business or working in the outside world.
Other advantages to living in a tent community such as I am suggesting and want to start will promote a sense of security and stability and a network of friends and helpful people. It is natural that certain neighbors will seek out certain other neighbors to have meals with, so rather than going to a soup kitchen for a free meal, it will be more like going out to eat with friends in a restaurant without having to worry about the bill. People will have a place to receive mail and get together for coffee, a game of chess or just to visit. People can check on each other if someone is under the weather or is depressed and needing someone to talk to. When we go to various social service agencies, we are sometimes greeted by people who should not have chosen social work as a career. They seem to hate people in general and most especially the homeless. Most often we are greeted by highly trained and skilled professionals who really care about others and want to help; however, they seem not to really understand. That is because they lack the personal experience of having been homeless. Neighbors in a tent community can better relate because they have each personally experienced homelessness. In other words, living in and being part of a community is a world of opportunity for residents. As Hilary R. Clinton titled her first book, "It takes a village."
WHY TENTS
Tents are usually though of only for camping and recreation in our modern society or emergency shelter following fire, earthquakes, etc. Otherwise, living in a tent is looked down on. Being homeless is an emergency situation and living in a tent may well be a long term solution.
A person living in a tent long term is not to be looked down on. Tents are a very ancient tradition, and people from all walks of life have and do live in tents long term. In EXODUS one learns that even the tabernacle was actually a specially constructed tent. Needless to say, the general housing needs of the Israelite population at that time was fulfilled with tents. Nomadic people of North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia have dwelt in tents for centuries and continue to do so today. Genghis Khan who conquered China, the rest of Asia and once posed a threat to India and Europe was a tent dweller. In fact most conquests and wars won and lost have been waged by people living in tents at the time.
With today's technology, tents are better than ever, and they are still the least expensive form of shelter available. By dumpster diving for cardboard and plastic, tents can even be improvised for free. Commercially manufactured tents start a $20 to $25 for a pup tent. Cabin-tents such as I am recommending can easily be had for under $200. A $400 housing voucher could buy a tent and a few camping accessories as well.
I am recommending cabin=tents for economic reasons and because of size. My current tent is 10' x 16'. It is a fairly common size. I have seen12' x 14' (two rooms and a screened porch and up to 11' x 20' all for less than $200 including sales tax. The last is the largest I recommend, since I am trying to find land where each household will have a 20' x 20' piece of land.
Tents of this size can amount to being a small studio apartment providing space for a bed, chair (or two), desk and storage space. The person living in it owns his or her own home. I would like to see people in a tent community living on a plot of land 20' x 20' or at approximately double the footprint of the tent. This will allow for private outdoor space to be used as a patio and/or garden. People with their own home generally fix them up and this will demand creative and original thinking. I have lived in apartments for most of my adult life and in many ways prefer it to living in a freestanding house. I lived in a small studio apartment in Bangkok, Thailand from late 1997 through early 2006. Apartments in Southeast Asia are not exactly the same as they are in North America nor is apartment living. I had to learn what the natives did, find what else was available and meld the two to fit my American-Asian life. This meant looking at things in new and different ways and being creative. Long-term tent living will make the same demands on people if they are to be happy. They can still choose necessities and accessories (pictures, houseplants, etc.) to meet their personal tastes and make a home for themselves. There is no reason a tent community can not be a place to invite friends and family from other types of dwellings.
