The micro/tiny homes in Portland seem to be doing pretty well. Hasn't turned into a disaster like some people said would happen. It sure beats seeing people living in their own trash piles under bridges. It's really sad the gov isn't doing more, and gets upset when people try to help. The people who complain about homeless camps are also the same ones partially responsible for it in the first place.
>The people who complain about homeless camps are also the same ones partially responsible for it in the first place.
We are all responsible at some level for not holding politicians accountable for a problem that they created. The real problem is the long term, destitute, mentally ill homeless. Not the crust kids or the down on their luck people who are out of work. They can be handled mostly with jobs programs, community outreach, and a housing based approach. But the people who are physically incapable of caring for themselves require legal intervention. We used to institutionalize these people, and give them some modicum of a dignified life, but that ended with the Reagan administration [0]. The result is that now we literally treat stray dogs with more compassion in this country.
There's plenty of evidence that even people who can't fully care for themselves will be better off in supportive housing. For a simple example, it's a lot easier to stay on medication when the bottle is in the same place every time you need it.
Options for upgrading the typical tent to shelters, yurts, microhomes would be awesome.
Society should also provide ad hoc sanitation, waste management, misc safety and convenience. These semi permanent encampments should automatically get honeypots, water stations, trash bins, and so forth.
Something, anything. Just to make their lives less terrible, less dangerous.
