County evicting homeless man who dug his own underground home

SOURCE

Riverside County is telling a man in Thousand Palms he has to leave his home, which happens to be underground. It may not look like much, but for Joel Hinz, it's home. And it is an extraordinary one at that.
Tired of feeling homeless, Joel decided to build his own and he went underground to do it. This 250 square foot desert dwelling has stairs, shelves, support beams. It even has a patio.

“Everybody's impressed when they come here,” Hinz told us. “It just evolved over time I just thought no big thing, if anything of it.”

Joel was working as a custom carpenter and a commercial builder, but after losing his job and any money he had, he had nowhere to go. He then decided to put his skills to work.

“Joel says he started digging in the ground 10 months ago. 3 months later he moved in and he's been here ever since.”

But now the county is telling Joel he's got to move out. He says the county has deemed his property to be "substandard" and "unsafe". That's not how Joel feels.

“I have total confidence. With walls like this, I'd be safer here than up top in a major earthquake.”

Nevertheless, Joel is expecting the county to come in sometime next week and bulldoze his underground shelter. He says he won't let himself get too down about it, that it's a sign for him to get on with the rest of his life.

“I'll be working in the construction business again or helping somebody out. I don't know where it's going to be.”

Joel did tell us he plans to stay here in the valley and says he wants to try and help other homeless people get back on their feet.

 

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Aw man that fucken sucks, some guy has a decent idea about giving himself shelter, it's bound to catch the systems eye sooner or later... "He's not paying council tax! Quick, someone send Health and Safety round, we'll get that git into a house when he feeds us money to blow people up!".

But on a more... local... simplier note, it is pretty shit for him, I feel sorry for the guy. 10 months work, and the council bulldoze it? Was it doing anyone harm? No it was "unsafe". But it's his home, it should be his choice.

It's great he wants to help other homeless people though. I wanna meet the guy, he sounds cool.

 

This definately deserves to be in the Pure Bull forum.

Did he own the land? Because if not, I can see why'd they'd bitch about it, but if he owned the land it's his to do what he wants with. Fuck...

 

Well, the story doesnt say that landowners made complaints, just that county officials found it unsafe to dwell in (remember kids, this is earthquake country), so whomever it belongs to, I am guessing this situation is falling under the jurusdiction of squatter's rights. I am guessing its BLM land since Thousand Palms is a high desert wasteland. No one cares if you live on BLM land, to the best of my knowledge.

 

Great...give me something else to make me SICK!

I am so fed up with the GODDAMNED Government (all brances, state, local, and especially federal) that I just want to drop out of society altogether and bum my way around with no property and no name.

And they are always using the same SCAPEGOAT---"It's For The Children".

Yeah, HORSESHIT! you asshole, it's for your wallet and your ego.

Fuck off and die.

 

well all he has to do is find another location and start digging...if he has not already.....

i seen a artical in a outdoor mag about another guy who dug him self a house ...it had cedar paneling, rock floor, wood stove all real nice...it was on nantucket island ...he lived in it for 10 years before being found out....he said he also had to other homes underground around the country...lol

 

Yet another example of someone who did not read the original post, but thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.

 

I seen stories on these people in Australia...theres lots of em, Miners of some sort, and they all just dig thier homes. WHole families. But not in Earth Quake country I am assuming. I been in some quartz Mines not too far from there, and they have these 16x16 posts for support....and many are split. Kinda eeirie and made me wanna leave.....

 

yeah i seen those...gets very hot there if i recall...

and i don't think undground structures have as much of a problem with quakes ....they move with the earth unlike a surface structure which get josled back and forth.....

 

would you volunteer to ride out a 7.6 in one?

 

depends on which one ...but yeah...

if the quakes damaged underground structures there would be no under ground mining in cali.....and they been doin that for a hundred years

but again depends on the place...lol

 

his is less than 50 miles from the good ol san andreas.

 

There's a sweet house near where I live that is underground except for one wall in the side of a hill. They've got solar panels, too. I should take a picture next time I'm out that way.

 

you should

 

There are several houses like that around here. Cool in the summer,warm in the winter...it's really efficient if they're set up properly. Not sure about ones completely underground though. That's a shame though,that he worked hard to build it,and now he can't stay there.

 

I hate that he wasted all that effort, and I hope he finds a better place , one that wont be discovered, should he decide to try again.