
The foundation of Soviet recovery post World War II was to rebuild the housing that had been destroyed in the war. Massive home-builds in the West pale by comparison, particularly in North America, spared from carpet bombing and artillery fire that flattened entire cityscapes. But massive builds did happen in the western world as part of slum clearances and other initiatives in the latter half of the 20th century.
Nevertheless, massive housing builds are not on offer today as a solution to growing rental housing crises. The consequence of widespread ‘rental deserts’1 can only be homelessness. Home-ownership is no longer an affordable option, not only for those with low or no income, but increasingly for families trying to survive on middle class incomes.
Meanwhile, there has been grudging acknowledgement that a growing tsunami of homelessness cannot be simply dismissed as a handful of downtown denizens with mental health issues and/or substance abuse addictions.
A further grudging acknowledgement recognizes that permanent shifts in weather patterns are evidence of an overheating planet. Even America, with its enthusiasm for smaller government and individual responsibility, admits that the government must play a role in protecting its citizens from the consequences.2
How then to shelter people who are homeless in a healthy, non-life-threatening way without a massive housing build?
Are tiny home villages a permanent destination? Currently, tiny home experiments are treated as transitional housing.3 But what’s the point (beyond qualifying for funding money) if there is nothing to transition to? And as permanent homes, would their standards have to be raised to provide seasonal protection in a world gone weather-wonky? Would tiny homes need to be well-insulated, with air-conditioning and/or heating that is appropriate to the season?
Another possibility is providing suitably weather-sensitive purpose-built shelters both at night (common, opening in the evening and often not matching the numbers who need it) and as well during the day (less common, often characterized by drop-ins and temporary weather-alert triggered openings of civic spaces such as libraries).
The article below features a purpose-built daytime shelter providing extreme heat protection in Miami, Florida. Does separating daytime and nighttime services make sense, or would people who are homeless be better served by the development of permanent ‘dormitory’ homes for day and night living?
Read more at AXIOS: Cooling centers are turning into next-gen “climate resilience hubs”
Footnotes
- Try: Rental Deserts – What Are They And Do They Matter?
- On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed a massive U.S. bill into law that includes climate change provisions. Read more at NBC News: Biden signs major climate, health care and tax bill into law
- Try: Homeless? Miami Considers NOOOT, Gulags, No-Support Transitions To Nowhere