Homeless Tiny Home Community

Comments

• Jared

  November 24

  I don't know how any site can be selected. I think this type of vote is going to be so contentious from every neighborhood nearby not wanting a large homeless population built up in their backyard. Ideas like this will create more NIMBYs. I don't really have a better idea but I don't see how this works out well.
• hood

  November 24

  Yeah, with any luck we'll end up selling these things off to the next unfortunate municipality. The only option I wouldn't be up in arms over is the old Barnes St School, I'd just be disappointed. I don't want to see us get into the habit of encroaching on park space for these sorts of services, that would be the beginning of the end for parks as we know them.
  
  imo The best things we can do to reduce homelessness are increase economic opportunity and grow the housing stock, of course coupled with a safety net for the legitimately disabled (including proper mental facilities). I have no interest in helping to house able-bodied and sound-minded adults. I tend to think that the local homeless problem is overblown, I'd be surprised if our metro is producing more homeless than our existing programs can handle, I'd really like to know how many are from out of the area.
• david_shane

  November 24

  How are the homeless generally treated by local authorities, by the way? What I mean is, a couple of weeks ago, I was catching a bus around 8:00 AM by the Five Guys in EL, and noticed a guy sleeping in the "ATM Vestibule" of the Chase Bank right there, where I assume it was much warmer than it was outside that morning. Bank opened at 9:00, I called them at 9:30 just to make sure they were aware this was happening. "Oh yes, thank you, we had... authorities here this morning."
  
  But what actually happens to such a person? The police show up. "Buddy, you aren't allowed to be there." OK... and then what? He gets arrested for trespassing? He's just ordered to leave the property, as a pamphlet with information about local services is pushed into his hand, and that's the end of it? What actually happens?
• gbdinlansing

  10:39AM

  As an alumnus of Barnes Avenue School, I think the idea of this project there is just stupid. That is one of the most stable and fully populated neighborhoods in the whole city. There are huge swaths of former industrial land, that are near bus routes and stores etc. that could be converted into a tiny house community. The former REO site comes to mind if it has to be in the central city. I have homeless people in my backyard [Albert Ave, and the alley], I have to make a decision every day to offer some help and sympathy, or to turn away and walk on by. The guy who cussed me out the other day, Alex is his name he always wears a towel over his head, was out there by the Target the next night, he asked me for help, I said I had no cash on me, he says I don't need money I need help. I had to say I'm sorry I don't have any help to offer. This stuck with me for a long time; I felt guilty in a liberal/Christian way having to turn my back on someone asking for help. I don't know where they come from or where they go at night, I am so blessed that I have a roof over my head, but I think it would be a terrible idea to bring this burden to a nice little neighborhood. I think that it may be true that we already have enough resources to house our community's number of homeless, there are very many reasons a person might chose not to take advantage of those resources and stay outside, I guess it should a priority to find methods of getting everyone off the street, and have people feel that they are safe to except help.