Hi I'm thinking of designing a website which enables people to search for, and/or offer, free accommodation - a spare bed; a shed; the backseat of a car; a couch; even a floor and a blanket! Something similar to A Place to Stay and Global Free Loaders. And I wanted to get people's opinions on the idea, before giving it much more consideration myself, or delving into the project. Do you think it's worth it? Do you think it could make a significant difference, if implemented on a wide scale? I don't even promise that I would be able to complete the project; and maybe another free accommodation site is merely superfluous; but I just wanted to get your opinions anyway. I've also had the notion of buying residentially-zoned rural plots (about 1/2 acre in size) - and then having people build their own accommodation. Or buying run-down old cottages; and doing them up to a sufficient degree. These options presumably both being cheaper than the typical custom of paying through the nose for a house that's already built. Basically they would then be hostels for homeless people; and would try to accommodate as many of them as possible. This would be a longer-term plan obviously; and the investment would probably have to be very much a joined one - but what do you think anyway?
i think the issue of homelessness definately needs to be addressed..its so often ignored by society and dumbed down by the government with local councils paying for homless people to stya off the street for one night so that on there homeless person counting night their figures are lower than the previous count...grrrr makes me so angry. i think its a great idea in essence but would the place to stay type website be aimed at travellers who have chosen to be abodeless or those in great need who really have no where to stay. becuase im thinking those in great need may not have a way of getting oto the internet to find such asite. how would you make the site accessible to those who could really benefit from it?
DSLC- i think its a beautiful ideaanything that a brother or sister doeswill make a difference!! the world needs more beautiful peoplesuch as your selfall my blessings brother!
Yeah, that's a perfectly valid point of course - that most homeless people wouldn't even have access to the internet. It had occurred to me; but I was thinking maybe that people could mediate for them - someone with access to a computer that is. Then, the people who actually need the place to stay could go and ask them if there's anything available. Just a thought! I'm perfectly willing to concede that the idea might be completely useless on a practical level. I'm thinking of maybe doing some work with local hostels some time soon incidentally; whether such work on the ground would change my views or not, I don't know. Travellers, incidentally, are a group I have considerable respect for. And even if some of them are extremely careless as regards how they dispose of their rubbish; and even though they wouldn't be the focus of my project if I did set about it; I still think the difficulties they face in trying to find a place to anchor down for a while are somewhat unfair.
measa420: That was a lovely post, thank you! My situation is a relatively fortunate one: in that I personally, am not threatened by homelessness, in the near future at least. I also happen to have some time on my hands at the moment; and just thought this might be a worthwhile way to spend it. I wouldn't even claim that my motives are entirely altruistic. After all: should my luck change; it could be me on the street tomorrow!
mmm yeh agree with the travelllers stuff..so yeh wicked idea mate...we definately need to be more pro active when it comes to homelessness..im involved in a project at the moment targeting a small part of the overall issue in leicester and its shocking and very upsetting to see how many people young and old are on the streets and alos how little help is given to them. i definately think anything that gives more of a chance to homeless people to get themselves on their feet is a good idea. i would actually really be up for learing more about your ideas etc..homelessness is really on my heart. perhaps another way of making the proposed site more accessible to those on the street is to spread the word around current day shelters. the majority of cities have a day centre for homeless people..even if it is just open on weekedns or whatever..its not asking alot for the site to be advertised in such places..partilucar as most will have at least one computer available for use. if there was a computer in the each day entre in each city which ran these websites homelss peple would have greater opportunity to independantly find somewhere to stay. another issue that would have to be looked at tho would be that of alcohol and rugs. almost all day and night shelters that provide for the homelss at the moment have strict no drugs and alchohl policies..would you imply the same rules in your houses/hostels? its a serious issue that would need to be addressed...many peple on the street, in particular the kids..need shetler and protection in a drug free zone. fair enough you may say, make th hostels drug free..but then their are so many homless people with addictions and dependancies on drugs and alcohol that how woul you deal with those breaking rules or further more...would another load of drug free hostels exclude a large majority of those on the street that wouldnt be able to stay there becuase of their problems. eurrgh its so messy..hard to know eher to start really..
Hiya chickabean, The basic idea would be similar to the sites I linked to above - A Place to Stay and Global Free Loaders; but with more of an emphasis on the needs of people who are long-term homeless, as opposed to the needs of people travelling through Europe or whatever. About the use of drugs and alcohol: I never thought about that much really to be honest. It's a good point you raised though. I'd have to think about it. I'm in a bit of a rush at the mo, and my computer is playing up on me; but I'll try get back later!
ok cool..well add me to msn if you use and you want! i_wish_i_was_a_munky@hotmail.com im currently living in leicester studying at uni and working for a shelter called agape...staying in london for a week for my birthday. used to live here (for three years) worked at a floating shelter when i lived in london so have a few homeless friends here too. saw one yesterday which upset me lots. he was only just homeless when i was at the shelter, still clean shaven and positive ..always syaing he wasnt going to be on the streets, that he was gona sort himself out..now its year and half/2 years on and he looked rough. really rough. i enquired about another amazing friend of mine and jaz's a guy called thomas who celbrated his 70th birthday when we wre at the croydon shelter. last time me and jaz saw him he looked awful, old and ill and alone..jaz saw him again after that time and said he was really ill. i found out yesterday that hes now in hospital and that he can no longer walk. its heartbreaking but at the same time im so glad hes in the warm, being looked after. but still..it wrneches your heart doesnt it?
First of all.... I have to of course wish you a very happy birthday. Staying in London for an entire week? Must be helluva session I don't use MSN unfortunately; but my Yahoo Messenger ID is davidcollins78 - if you use that; or feel free to PM me of course. Back on topic: I agree; it is heart-wrenching, and very depressing, to see people living on pavements. Unlike you, I haven't actually got to know many homeless people. But the one individual I did become friendly with was a particularly nice guy; and highly intelligent as well. Anyone from Dublin might have even heard of him: Tony Gill was his name; he spent nearly all of his time on Westland Row, by Trinity College (...Dublin isn't nearly as big as London). He used to write poetry - there; while living on the pavement, or underneath car parks - and got a printing company to type up and bind selected poems for him. Then he just gave copies away freely. A remarkable man! I don't even know if he's still alive; I haven't seen him in years (..I was living in a different county for about two years). I was thinking about the issue of substance use (alcohol and whatever else) - which you mentioned. Wouldn't it be best to let the actual hosts to decide the policy in relation to this? Say, for example, that Mr. and Mrs. A allow someone to stay in their spare bedroom for a few weeks. It seems to me that - seeing as they are the ones affected; and seeing as they are the ones making the sacrifice - they should decide whether or not smoking, alcohol, marijuana (even more potent drugs) are tolerated. The idea is that the site/project I am thinking of - if I go ahead with it, and if I get it finished - would be merely a facilitator for these things to happen; it wouldn't lay down any rules on such things. Then again; maybe I'm just being naive. Anway ..I won't bore you and drag you into a big, serious discussion - especially at the time of your birthday. Take it easy ... and have a good one!
Sounds and interesting idea and I wish you the very best with it but i just wanted to point out many many people who are of no fixed abode do so through choice , thats not to say many more have no option but to sleep rough. We have very good facilities in Brighton for homeless people......just no enough homes to go round
I think it's a fantastic idea in principle. The only main concern I'd have over it is finding people willing to take on a homeless person, because of the bad press (sometimes true, sometimes not) about the reasons people are homeless and the fact that they're alcoholics or drug users. I'm not sure how many people you would find to trust someone enough in their own home. (I don't know if you would be the one finding volunteers or if you would just be setting up the site and heightening awareness of it, so what I just said may be irrelevant. Have the other organisations been successful in finding volunteers?) I think it's great that you feel so passionately about something that you actually want to do something about it.
