Summary

The article discusses the complex nature of homelessness in California, using the story of a man named Hank who chooses to live homeless for the freedom it provides, despite the challenges and societal stigma.

Abstract

The piece delves into the personal narrative of "Hank," a homeless individual in California by choice, who prefers the freedom of street life over the constraints of conventional housing. Despite the comfort and affordability of his makeshift home under a freeway, Hank faces constant harassment and societal pressures. The author, Hogan Torah, contrasts Hank's lifestyle with the struggles of maintaining a traditional lifestyle in the face of high living costs and long commutes in Los Angeles. The article suggests that while the state has attempted to address homelessness with hotel vouchers, these are often ineffective, leading to suggestions for more sustainable solutions like Community Land Trusts (CLTs), which offer a form of shared ownership and responsibility, potentially providing a better alternative for those who are homeless by choice or circumstance.

Opinions

The author believes that freedom is a significant factor in Hank's choice to live homeless.
The article implies that the traditional housing market in California is unaffordable for many, including those with low to moderate incomes.
It is suggested that the homeless community has a sense of camaraderie, despite issues like mental illness and theft.
The author criticizes the current approach to homelessness, such as hotel vouchers, as ineffective and short-term.
The author posits that CLTs could be an effective long-term solution to homelessness, providing stable, affordable housing and a sense of ownership to residents.
The piece challenges the stigma around homelessness, suggesting that it is not always a result of personal failure or poor choices.
The author emphasizes the need for understanding homelessness beyond conventional stereotypes and for creating better housing alternatives.

HOUSING CRISIS

California Needs to Understand Homelessness Before They Can End it

Being homeless by choice in California almost makes sense

One of my best friends is homeless by choice. We’ll call him Hank. Hank has family with extra rooms who’ve invited him to stay, but he chooses to live on the street.

Why would anyone choose to live like that?

Freedom.

Hank lives in a neighborhood where a one bedroom apartment costs over 2k a month. His dwelling is on a sidewalk.

It’s cozy in Hank’s 8' by 8' Easy Up. His setup with tarp rigging cost under 200 bucks. He sleeps on an air mattress under milk crates. It’s under a freeway where it stays cool in the summer. Rain isn’t an issue. When it’s windy he leaves the legs of his Easy-Up down.

Hank has no cellphone. If you want to see him you stop by. He’s either there or you stop by another time.

He’s got no electricity or running water but by maintaining a minimum level of hygiene he doesn’t look homeless. His EBT card ensures he doesn’t starve.

He’s harassed by police, the locals, and other homeless constantly. But what are they going to do? You’re already homeless.

The first time I visited him there I had planned to give him a pep talk. He’s got substance abuse issues and so did I.

Three years ago I overcame addiction to become Hogan Torah. Hank’s still struggling and became homeless.

I wanted to inspire him but he inspired me.

Getting a job isn’t an option for him due to being arrested for a heinous crime he didn’t commit. He was never charged but his record still shows he was arrested for it.

When his mom threw him out 2 years ago she hoped it would be a wakeup call. Didn’t work.

After hanging out for a few hours I learned being homeless is exciting. There’s a sense of camaraderie between the homeless in spite of the mental illness and stealing from each other.

Being homeless is like a being at burning man permanently. People journey to the desert and pay hundreds of dollars to simulate homelessness for one week every year.

One of my favorite things about hanging with Hank are the stories. He and other homeless people in his encampments have the craziest stories. If Medium were filled with the homeless telling their stories vs. MFA’s in English making avocado toast jokes, Medium would be one of the top hundred sites on the internet.

Some of the homeless have full time jobs, but if you’re making only 30k a year housing options are either bad or non existent.

People in LA spend 3 hours commuting to a job where they work 10 hours and get paid for 8. You become a slave to your lifestyle. Work hard to live in box. Be a good cog in the capitalist machine and at the end of it all you wind up in another box.

If you have no money and are surrounded by people with no money are you really poor?

Everything is relative.

I believe the United States is at a point where no one should have to live outside. The answer from the mayor in Los Angeles is hotel vouchers. How’s that been working? Terribly.

You give the homeless a studio apartment they’ll take it. Then they’ll trash it. A lot of the homeless develop hoarding tendencies that have condemned many down town Los Angeles hotels.

California has spent 20 billion on hotel rooms for the homeless since COVID in 2020. 20 billion spent on a short term solution.

What Los Angeles needs is community land trusts (CLT). Give the homeless somewhere to live.

The CLT model with community land trust housing allows the people to own their dwelling but not the land it’s on. Residents own their dwelling while the CLT retains ownership of the land. This helps to ensure that the land remains affordable and accessible to future generations.

CLTs are typically governed by a board of directors made up of members of the community, and they operate with the goal of providing stable, long-term affordable housing and other community benefits.

CLTs have been an effective tool for creating and preserving affordable housing in areas where the cost of living is high. It gives the unsheltered a roof over their heads. The residents get a sense of shared ownership and responsibility.

Sometimes being homeless isn’t a choice. For others like my friend Hank it’s an increasingly popular choice that doesn’t bear the stigma it used to. We need to have a better alternative for these people.

Sources: https://www.dailynews.com/2023/03/26/california-can-solve-homeless-crisis/ https://chicagohousingtrust.org/