I read an article today about poverty levels and how major factors of
homelessness are low wages, high rent, and healthcare costs.
Well, duh, especially on the first two. Healthcare costs, well, I
tend not to worry about those because I've been generally healthy and
can't really comprehend /needing/ it. I do use my dental insurance
but my health insurance I do indeed take for granted when perhaps I
shouldn't. Still, I know the major root of the problem is not with
health costs but rather, with making enough money to pay for a place
to live. That is the root of homelessness in lots of cases.
Thinking along those lines, I recall my childhood and how close I'd
come to homelessness so many times. Welfare supported us most of my
life, but barely. I know we had it rough and I know things were
tough even back then, even as I also know a certain attitude of
defeat both hindered and helped us. I can't say why exactly this
sense of defeat was so imminent in my mother's heart when she is such
a strong, stubborn person, but I remember vowin early on that when I
grew up, I'd be supporting myself, and I'd not be relying on anyone
for my well-being if I could help it. To this effect, I've watched
the world's systems, taken jobs I barely felt I deserved, and worked
hard to ensure I kept them, even on days I, too, wanted to walk out.
Mom never understood how I could be so "strong" and able to
"manipulate" the world to do my bidding for me. My strength is hers,
it's simply directed at a different goal. And I manipulate little of
the world. It simply responds to my attitude.
So this all got me thinking about affordable housing, and I'm sure
the idea's come up before, and I'm sure there are many reasons as to
why it doesn't occur - but why couldn't there be some get-together
where people raise money, materials, and services to build small
apartments on existing property? Like, someone who owns a sizable
enough piece of land could place a little building on it and charge
minimal rent. The place wouldn't have to be huge and it wouldn't
have to be really close to the existing house. I'm not looking to
infringe upon a homeowner's rights or privacy, just solve a housing
problem. Now, it's obvious that many poor folk don't have cars, so
it would be most helpful to have such places in the city on a
busline; that way, they can most certainly work. One of the biggest
oxymorons I recall from my childhood is that the "state" would expect
the impossible - you can live here, but there's no busline for five
miles so good luck on finding a job to help you stop depending on
us. Or, here's some help - go to school on our behalf! - but
remember to show up for your review at this time, and only this time
- forget about rescheduling just because you have a major exam that
day - or you're cut off and can't have any food for a month while we
reopen your case.
Bullsh**. This is exactly why I don't like the "system."
Anywho, placing people into little apartments as I picture this would
involve some time and money as well as the cooperation of willing
homeowners. I think there should be a little tax cut the first year
someone does this, to aid in the expense of dealing with unexpected
costs; it would be run through an agency of sorts that has contact
with homeless people - I think they'd know the folks very well there,
and know which people might be the best fit and have the most need.
It's not that I think some people are more worthy of help than
others, but I think some are better able to help themselves than
others if given a chance, and it's those people I'd want to help most
because there's a possibility that they could get up on their own
feet and out of the little apartments faster, making room for new
success stories. The others can continue to be helped by other
agencies until society can figure something else out. I don't think
the "need" to treat everyone equally should hinder efforts to help.
Start small, right?
Now, to get the houses built: Get some of these contractors to feel
good about themselves and have them donate some of their services and
time. Since more always needs to be done anyway, there's really no
time thing on this, just starting the project would start helping.
Have the able homeless people help out, too, if they're so inclined -
In fact, this could help to sort out the willing from the for-now-
lost-causes. They might even learn something in this manner.
There's a program in Vermont that resembles this, although I never
recall the name. It's a bit of a community thing; a bunch of people
who want houses built get together and build each others' houses.
Having so many people involved means things happen faster, and
everyone knows what it takes to build something and no one is left
out of the process.
As far as rent on the little apartments, they wouldn't have been that
costly to build because people are donating time and money under the
stipulation that the building was to be used for this particular
purpose. So, the homeowner could make a small income that they did
not have prior, and taxes could not be levied against the new
addition, only the income. The rent would be payment for
volunteering to have such a building on their property, and would be
just enough to be worth the effort but not so much that someone
making $6 per hour couldn't afford the place AND childcare if necessary.
I don't have or know all the answers, but I think this could work if
it had the proper coordinator to get 'r done. Wish I were that
person but I'm probably not. If the program ever starts up, though,
I wanna be a part of it somehow. Maybe I can keep records on a
computer or something. ::shrug::
Another article I read discussed memory and how the brain works, or
rather, how they don't KNOW how the brain works. It was mentioned
that humans are quite unique in their processing power and that we're
barking up the wrong tree when studying mice and monkeys. I thought
of Gracie, my rat, who died earlier this year. She was very smart,
able to problem-solve like a human might, no matter what science
might say down the road. And she "talked" to me in her own way, she
understood me, and she felt something - not sure what - when her
sister was sick, and when she passed away. I watched her tend her
sick sister, washing her, soothing her, and then watched her lay
there after Mercy died, looking both listless and curious. That's
when our friendship truly began, because it was just her and I felt
bad she was all alone. What a blessing it was to have made this
decision to pay more attention to her! I enjoyed more mornings that
I can count, watching her devise ways to hoard my breakfast in her
cage. When she died it was earth-shattering. Heck, it still is,
that she's not here. We interacted far more than the cats and I ever
do and I'll forever regret that I hadn't taken notice of just how
wonderful she was her whole life.
She was smarter than some humans I know.
So will science ever figure out how to solve the problems of the
world? Will it figure out how the brain works? Maybe. Until then,
we write about it.
