How to make a homeless tent city

Quality of life “is” possible when planning proactively and brainstorming the deployment of a tent city for people experiencing homelessness. From individuals to families, meal lines to those with special needs, thinking ahead can make an impossible concept…possible!

1. Location: Nobody wants it in their back yard, but then again they’d rather the homeless not be anywhere near them. Locations set apart on local transit lines such as abandoned lots are good starting points.

2. Groundwork: Soil content, debris, contaminants are all dangers. Ripping out existing top layers of asphalt, concrete, and soil with levelling afterwards for placement of polycarbonate matting systems are a viable answer. Most companies rent these from leasing companies.

Over time after becoming damaged due to normal use, they’re discarded or sold. Mats come in typical 8′x14′ sections, interlock, and can provide a layer of protection for tent city residents. The mats are in fact used by the military for deploying stable landing locations for helicopters by using six in a three by two square configuration, strong enough to both land and have maintenance vehicles, crews, and equipment ready prior to landing.

3. Water: Potable water source from existing city lines.

4. Staging areas for cooking by residents as well as locations set for deploying mobile kitchens and satellite services such as medical outpatient teams.

5. Law enforcement pressence: One beat cop in the presence of 100 such residents is more effective in combating crime in a community than 100 unseen homeless patrolled. Security offers safety for the community, both local residents in and around the tent city.

Metal buildings are a possibility, but in most cases use of plastics is more desireable due to both upkeep as well as effects of elements on exposed metal.

What do you think would be useful in brainstorming a tent city in your neighborhood?

Tags: .: The Man

.:.Drugs as a cause to homelessness is nuts

Everyone dealing with case management for the homeless always has in mind the altruistic logic test of having to send said client to drug rehab or not. It’s a gimme!

And…it sucks.

Not one of these professionals have probably EVER visited http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/, the National Mental Health Information Center! People with chronic drug problems ending up homeless aren’t recreational users, they’re usually self medicating and have undiagnosed mental disorders.

Depression…that’s usually ‘found’ first. If a person maintains decent medication management and talk therapy, then it’s a good possibility they’ll get their disorder ‘narrowed down’ and found…and eventually be able to start dealing with it.

But they won’t…if they get pigeon holed as simply addicts!

I’m not saying anything new here. I’m just having the voice to say most case managers don’t have the ‘hmm hmms’ I do and have either the brass to give 1% on each client…

…or the nuts to do what a nut like me can.

Be honest.