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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 11, 2021)
Wednesday, August 11, 2021 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 5 Commentary... Compromising homelessness By Erik Dolson Columnist Two weeks ago, camps of the homeless, aka the houseless, aka those living in rough shelter, in squalor and despair rank in the hot July sun near the Columbia River in Portland, seemed almost apocalyptic. After asking liberals and conservatives what they thought could be done, and reading a variety of publi- cations, I think there may actually be some options but am not at all sure we can get there from here. Because I had a bias against publicly funded <affordable housing= (at a social level the concept may be self-defeating in a capi- talist system), I9d dismissed that housing the homeless was possible. But last week I read a tweet from a progressive politician (I was looking for something by Cormac McCarthy, okay?) which said <housing is a human right.= This caused a shift in my thinking. I do believe there are <human rights= that a civilized society guarantees its members. In other words, an individual is guaranteed a minimal standard of living by the fact of being a mem- ber of our society and we will not accept misery under the overpass. Now that I think about it, the label <social secu- rity= captures what I9m try- ing to get at: Even here in America, land of individu- als, land of the free, land of <them that kills eats,= we believe in social security. (No, you did not pay into your Social Security account all you are likely to receive.) I also believe in (and receive) Medicare. What if we expand the label of <social security= to include minimal health care for all? That would certainly provide security and, if pro- vided by society, becomes part of our <social security.= We share the air. So if Medicare, Medicaid, etc. also become part of our social security, can we include shelter for the home- less? To <cure= what the The Economist magazine calls <unsheltered homelessness=? Not until we liberals become a whole lot more honest. WHAT?!?!? Before America will agree that housing is a human right, liberals have to put actual concepts of accept- able <housing= or <shelter= on the table. Not doing so is dishonest hedging of bets. Yes, I know the risks of being specific. Liberals must accept that many Americans are get- ting through hard times by living in the basements of relatives, or in singlewides in unregulated trailer parks, or in campers somewhere in the forest, or in a room in a house with kitchen and bathroom shared with strangers. Those Americans, and their kin, won9t accept government giving away better accom- modations to the unsheltered. But if liberals have to describe what shelter they will agree is minimally acceptable, conservatives have to acknowledge that bad things happen to good people, that community well-being depends on the well-being of its most vul- nerable members, and finally that we will simply not toler- ate fellow Americans living and dying on the side of our freeways. Conservatives must do more than say the program rewards the undeserving, or the addicted must suffer before recovery, or bad deci- sions must result in bad out- comes for the good of soci- ety, or & just pick the most unfair example to oppose any such program so it will die. Consequently, such shel- ter must be minimal, and we must NOT remove the social stigma of such housing. Yes, that9s harsh to liberal sensi- tivities. But community val- ues are a primary mechanism that society uses to correct social malfunction at a macro level. My vision includes a warm room under a roof, a bed, a way to heat food, a toilet, a shower: 200 to 300 square feet? I don9t know. Small A-frames come to mind, with enough <space= around each unit for individ- ual choices, whether a veg- etable garden or daffodils or a hammock between poles. Arranged in a close hexa- gon? The hexagons them- selves arranged in a pattern of hexagons? With a com- mon area for visits by medi- cal personnel or commu- nity conference? A pickup point for public transport to employment? A professional told me once that a <community= can9t be larger than about 200 people. Could we pre- vent warfare between adja- cent communities? I don9t know, I9m just throwing out ideas. My ideas may be inane or impossible. Offer your own. But don9t retreat behind <It9s not my problem.= Yes, it is. As Americans, we must look for the trade-offs while we create innovative solu- tions. It9s cheaper to shel- ter the homeless in minimal accommodations than in hos- pitals or jails. It also becomes simpler to address individual problems such as addiction, mental health, lack of skills, etc. There may be real sav- ings on a social level. Then, maybe we can confront the absurdity that monthly rent for a basic apartment in many places is about half of a good monthly wage. Erik Dolson is a Sisters resident and writer. His work can be found at https:// erikdolson.substack.com. $5 OFF ANY CAT LITTER! 10 lbs. or more (Off er expires 8/25/21) 102 E. Main Ave. 541-549-4151 10 OFF $ DOT & FAA PHYSICALS WALK IN OR SCHEDULE YOUR APPT. TODAY! SISTERS LES SCHWAB Valid through 8-18-21 600 W. HOOD AVE. • 541-549-1560 Schedule online at LesSchwab.com 541-548-2899 3818 SW 21st Pl., Ste. 100 Redmond • Open every day yourcaremedical.com URGENT CARE • OCCUPATIONAL MED M • TELEMEDICINE • X-RAY For J.D. Power 2021 award Information, visit jdpower.com/awards REDMOND PRINEVILLE MADRAS La PINE 845 NW 6th 1250 East 3rd 1412 SW Hwy. 97 52596 N. 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