It may not be pretty, but for tens of thousands during the Great Depression, these shanties all across America were called home. They used whatever materials they had on-hand and did the best they could to keep them clean. This was in stark contrast to the affluent apartment buildings surrounding them. These folks, with nowhere else to go, were consistently harassed by law enforcement in the early years of the Great Depression but as time when on, judges started dismissing vagrancy cases out of recognition of these people’s humanity.
Fast forward to today, the criminalization of the unsheltered is continuing. According to an L.A. Times analysis, in 2016 some 14,000 unsheltered people were arrested citywide, a 31% jump from 2011. With estimates reaching 60,000 Angelenos without housing, there is little doubt the rate of arrests won’t continue to get worse. This is a drain on city finances. During his recent visit to Skid Row, UN Monitor Phil Alston slammed Los Angeles leaders for using criminalization to "conceal" the Unsheltered behind bars, where their lives are made far worse for very minor crimes. And even if you don’t get arrested, in July 2015, the L.A. City Council approved two ordinances that encourage seizure of homeless people's property and handing out tickets to those sleeping in cars. I personally know one elderly unsheltered man who lost his ID because LAPD took all of his stuff and he couldn’t get downtown in time to retrieve it.
“We work hard to keep it clean, because that is important.
I never lived like this before.”
~ Central Park Hooverville Resident During the Great Depression
In a conversation I had with an unsheltered man I met when he was rummaging through our dumpster in the alley behind my apartment building last month, he told me almost the exact same thing word-for-word. He told me they have rules over on Juanita Street just north of Beverly Blvd. where he has his tent set up along with several other folks and if you break the rules, you will be banned from the block. Until that moment, I had no clue this was going on. I knew these people were not savages, just folks who, for some reason or another, had fallen on hard times, but rules? It had not even occurred to me. As I look at the encampments in my neighborhood of Rampart Village, I tend to see filth and squaller. I asked him about this and he told me most folks don’t want all the trash there either, but they honestly do not have any place to put it.
We also talked about the very basic notion of human hygiene. Places to relieve ones self. Being able to clean up, wash your face, brush your teeth, try to feel human. The things you and I take for granted are not necessarily available to them.
And the stress. On top of the stress from law enforcement, there are safety issues as well. There are folks who will rob from you. Not necessarily bad people or people that need a drug fix, but people who are desperate because they have nothing.
It’s not all like that though. Several months ago, I bought two cup-of-noodles soups for an unsheltered guy outside my 7-11. As I walked away, he, who had very little, gave one of the soups to the guy sitting next to him. I was profoundly moved by this. Why? Because if someone who had practically nothing in the world could look out for his fellow human being, then certainly I, who has much more, can do the same.
One evening shortly after the first of the year, I had gotten into a conversation with an unsheltered man who was temporarily camped out on the street to the side of my building. He was someone who had fallen on hard times and was doing his best to recover. The real thing that struck me is when another unsheltered person was passing by, this second person stopped and asked the first guy if he had any shoes. The first guy went through his things and came up with a pair that fit the bill. So the second guy pulled out some cookies and shared them with the two of us. He also pulled out some egg nog and we used the ice cream cones he had to drink it from. In the meantime, we got into a very deep conversation. I admit I do not remember what the conversation was about but these two men were certainly not unintelligent by any stretch of the imagination.
Why do I tell you all this and what does this have to do with Intentional Encampments?
I want you to first realize, not all of the unsheltered are mentally ill waifs, drug addicts and criminals. Is there a portion of these folks who have been abandoned and/or left behind by governmental institutions? You bet. But from what I can tell, these are not the majority of the folks living on the streets. From my observations, most are regular folks who hit a patch of hard road on life’s journey. Nothing more, nothing less. I tell you these stories so that you will understand and so the next time you see an unsheltered person, you will not look at them with disgust. These are caring loving human beings and believe me, and I have been told this by more than one unsheltered person, they see the look in your eye. They see the expression on your face. They know what you must think of them and I am here to tell you that you are wrong. Here, watch this…
So finally, Be Of Hope Intentional Encampments (BOHIE). What are they?
Several months back during a conversation with Lois Arkin, the founder of the Eco Village here in Rampart Village, and after understanding that the Eco Village was what is called an “Intentional Community,” the concept of an "Intentional Encampment" (IE) for the Unsheltered popped into my head. The upsides to this are tremendous and after having thought about it for quite some time, I am seeing very little downside.
I envision an BOHIE to be a space like a city owned parking lot or parking structure, an unused plot of pubic or private land or just any space that can be designated as a safe place to set up tents. I know the NYMBYs are going to hate this but the unsheltered are already living on your streets. There would be rules and self-governance. But more than anything in the world, it would show we care about them. That there is a place for them.
I also envision:
Large planter boxes where folks can grow some of their own food. I know I get a sense of self-pride with my own little window garden I have growing.
City supplied dumpsters with regular pick-ups, which would be less expensive than having city sanitation crews cleaning up the streets all the time.
The BOHIEs can be supplied with solar showers so folks can get cleaned up for maybe, let’s see, possibly going around to look for employment maybe? Seriously, can you imagine trying to look for a job and not being able to get cleaned up? It must be horribly frustrating to say the least. This baby is available on Amazon for...wait for it...$15.90.
They can also be supplied with portable toilets. How undignified would you feel if you didn’t have a place to crap? And for women? I will not go into the graphic details. I think you get the point. This one you can get at Walmart right now for $67.94. So I don’t want to hear that we can’t afford to do this.
Heck, we can even supply folks with tents for less than $50.00 a pop. Again, right now at Walmart, a tent for $29.99.
One of the biggest problems facing the Unsheltered is access to clean water. The BOHIEs can be supplied with 55gal plastic barrels and I know the city has water trucks that could go around and fill them up when needed.
With people living in BOHIEs, it will be so much easier to bring the Unsheltered the City and County services that are available. Clinics and medical facilities can send around staff for pop-up clinics. The department of Social Services can make sure folks have food stamps, etc. By having folks in one spot, it will make it so much easier for the service providers to help them.
One thing that prevents unsheltered people from getting a job is the lack of a mailing address. This can be solved by allowing folks to get mail at their BOHIEs. We can supply a row of mail boxes and assign each tent with a number. The cost would be minimal. A residential mailbox can be had from Home Depot for less than 20 bucks.
And lastly, we could even supply the BOHIEs with electricity (paid for by the savings from not having to lock all these folks up). Imagine all the things you would have to go without because you don’t have access to juice. And if you had juice, then it would be logical to also provide them with...wait for it...internet access. With internet access, they would be able to apply for jobs, teach themselves or even take online courses, keep in touch with family members and a whole lot more.
You can’t tell me the city, in partnership with community organizations, can’t get this done. It is time to stop with all the half measures and find real solutions to the problem of the Unsheltered. You really want people to get off the streets? Give them a safe place to stay, clean water, a restroom, a shower, the ability to possibly grow their own food, have a mailing address, access to electricity, and access to the internet. Give them dignity. You do realize that with these handicaps removed, the chances for the Unsheltered to find employment and permanent housing greatly increase. Surely you see that, right?
Rachael Rose Luckey is a progressive political activist, with special emphasis on the LGB/Trans Movements, living in Los Angeles. As President of the Rampart Village Neighborhood Council, she is one of only a couple of dozen openly Transgender Elected Government Officials in the nation. She also participates on community advisory committees/working groups including LAPD and LA Care. (The views expressed are solely her own and do not represent the views of any political party, organization, government entity or candidate/elected official)