How to Solve Homelessness

America and the rest of the western world are very rich, however, there are many homeless people living there. This is quite unfortunate, considering the abundance that we find in these nations. However, there is a solution to the homeless problem that has greatly intrigued me. I believe that this solution generally works mainly in the West, where there is an abundance of resources. It may not work in the Third world, where there are massive sections of the population living in homelessness or abject poverty. I think it generally only works where poor people are a minority, not the majority.

The archetype for the solution I am talking about is Dignity Village in Portland, Oregon. It is a work of the pro-homeless activist Jack Tafari. Basically, it all began when some homeless people began squatting on unused public land in Portland, to the support of some and the chagrin of others. The community became more popular when it set up governing laws, namely; no violence, no theft, no drugs or alcohol, everybody must work to upkeep the community, and no disturbances of the peace. The squatters soon became more popular and the city allowed Dignity Village to stay. From the photographs I have seen it looks well-kept with most of the residents living in small dwellings often used as outbuildings.

I think that the idea for these villages needs to be expanded. I'm not talking about lawless tent cities, but officially recognized settlements on public land that abide by the same rules; no violence, no theft, no drugs/alcohol etc. I think cities ought to set aside certain areas for people to erect locations such as this. I think that it is a much better solution to the problem of homelessness than the current solutions; such as missions. Missions are very temporary in nature and the people who live there often find themselves back on the street. What this does is give people semi-permanent housing; small housing, but semi-permanent housing just the same. Most importantly, it gives homeless and very poor people a sense of dignity and allows them a good starting point for getting their lives back on track.

Perhaps the most appealing aspects of this whole set-up are the benefits it has for the wider community. First of all, the expansion of such settlements will help get people off the streets. People will no longer be sleeping with cardboard in allyways. Additionally, it will be much, much cheaper for the taxpayers than other solutions to homelessness and poverty. The government won't actually be paying for the housing itself. Indeed, the entire plan is for the communities to be set up by homeless citizens and private organizations in conjunction with government approval (in order to give it legitimacy in the community).

I think every city in America needs to have a Dignity Village built. The only trouble is the political will that is required. There are still stigmas about homeless people, and the idea of building a special "homeless community" will raise the spectre of shantytowns in many people's heads. However, shantytowns these are not. As I said, certain requirements would be met. The Dignity Village in Portland provides showers, sanitation, etc. These would not be like Third World shantytowns where there is no sanitation or services to speak of. With the requirements met, cities could open up to their homeless population and give them the dignity they deserve. Of all the solutions to homelessness, this has intrigued me the most.