Essays Contents
Homeless Solutions
January 11, 2023
tree of life...?
There are many prototype solutions for offering housing
to those who are struggling in their lives.
There is a community in Austin, Texas
where the director set up mobile homes
and established rules about work
either in the community
or on the gardens and common areas...
and in the years since I've done my research on this,
other solutions have been tried...
such as tiny home communities...
There are possible solutions... such as boarding houses
where each person has a bedroom and shares the bath and kitchen.
The residents could work 10 hours a week doing anything...
sweeping sidewalks... picking up trash in parks... washing windows...
even these simple tasks require effort and some skill.
I know that there are some people who will just NEVER fit into our
modern society. But put them on a farm and they might really blossom
and rebuild their sense of dignity... or recover from their losses...
which good work can well do for us humans.
Many people know they are in a losing game...
chronic health issues... really bad teeth or appearance... depression...
We can offer real help... and the giving part does us ALL good.
Each of us needs to know the feeling of giving to others.
It gives our own lives meaning.
I've seen things like...
retired dentists who offer free services one day a month...
or eye doctors... who have old glasses they offer free to the needy.
When a person gets so very far down... any act of kindness...
can begin to rebuild their strength... to keep going... to keep trying...
when before they were in a bad spot between a rock and a hard place.
And, look at the beautiful things you can make... from... the tree.
You can build your own house... as beautiful as you might want.
All you need... is a piece of land... a latrine... a water source.
dignity village
Dignity Village, Part 1
video
Dignity Village, Part 2
video
Dignity Village, a community by and for the homeless
An interview by peakmoment channel
Portland city council relocated a homeless camp
and gave them a patch of land... to build a community...
they got a bus stop, set up a donation thrift store to pay electric
but they soon discovered they were living on top of an old city dump
and were infested with rats...
"wattle and daub" is an ancient form of house-building
wattle and daub cottage
An Earthen House Built by Hand
video
DIY wattle and daub earthen house built on his boss's land
an interview by peakmoment channel
This man says... we rely on "experts" to tell us everything...
when our lives could be much much simpler... and self-sustaining.
using trees as a frame for a cottage
Wattle and Daub Mini-Cottage Construction
video
there is no Part 2, Shane Steddum channel
using existing trees as the cottage frame posts
built a home with their own hands
Family's Magical Cob House
Tiny House Giant Journey channel
18 minutes of a tour of a cob house
and the techniques they used
wattle and daub
wattle and daub tutorial
video
describes the difference in tree sources; how to make mud;
willow grows faster than hazelnut, and completely renewable
Stefan Barry Leszczynski channel
coppiced trees to produce wattle
Coppiced Willow Withies: Endless Supply of Wattle
video
coppiced tree grows new wattle every year
growing a wattle patch to produce wattle for weaving fences
Good and Basic channel
living fence
Hedge or Art!? 2 Years growing a living fence from willow
video
Field to Farm channel
bamboo, willow, hazelnut trees... strong and renewable
if you use this technique... of bending the hazel onto the next tree...
the tree continues to grow and creates a hedge...
Some techniques only bend the lower branches
and allow the height to build... which will stop deer...
but is also a food resource for deer and other wildlife.
EDIBLE FENCES can also be shaped from raspberry bushes.
If you take away the animals' foraging land... give something back.
the hazelnut
hazelnut tree in bloom
video
tree produces male & female and is self-pollinating
make a deer fence, weave from tree to tree
deer will eat the far side leaves and nuts
Great Escape Farms channel
willow structure design
Bonnie Gale - Willow Artist - Artist Cafe
video
WSKG Public Media channel
make your places beautiful !!!
just go look and see... the beautiful houses you can build...
tree of life...?
There are many prototype solutions for offering housing
to those who are struggling in their lives.
There is a community in Austin, Texas
where the director set up mobile homes
and established rules about work
either in the community
or on the gardens and common areas...
and in the years since I've done my research on this,
other solutions have been tried...
such as tiny home communities...
There are possible solutions... such as boarding houses
where each person has a bedroom and shares the bath and kitchen.
The residents could work 10 hours a week doing anything...
sweeping sidewalks... picking up trash in parks... washing windows...
even these simple tasks require effort and some skill.
I know that there are some people who will just NEVER fit into our modern society. But put them on a farm and they might really blossom
and rebuild their sense of dignity... or recover from their losses...
which good work can well do for us humans.
Many people know they are in a losing game...
chronic health issues... really bad teeth or appearance... depression...
We can offer real help... and the giving part does us ALL good.
Each of us needs to know the feeling of giving to others.
It gives our own lives meaning.
I've seen things like...
retired dentists who offer free services one day a month...
or eye doctors... who have old glasses they offer free to the needy.
When a person gets so very far down... any act of kindness...
can begin to rebuild their strength... to keep going... to keep trying...
when before they were in a bad spot between a rock and a hard place.
And, look at the beautiful things you can make... from... the tree.
You can build your own house... as beautiful as you might want.
All you need... is a piece of land... a latrine... a water source.
dignity village
Dignity Village, Part 1
video
Dignity Village, Part 2
video
Dignity Village, a community by and for the homeless
An interview by peakmoment channel
Portland city council relocated a homeless camp
and gave them a patch of land... to build a community...
they got a bus stop, set up a donation thrift store to pay electric
but they soon discovered they were living on top of an old city dump
and were infested with rats...
"wattle and daub" is an ancient form of house-building
wattle and daub cottage
An Earthen House Built by Hand
video
DIY wattle and daub earthen house built on his boss's land
an interview by peakmoment channel
This man says... we rely on "experts" to tell us everything...
when our lives could be much much simpler... and self-sustaining.
using trees as a frame for a cottage
Wattle and Daub Mini-Cottage Construction
video
there is no Part 2, Shane Steddum channel
using existing trees as the cottage frame posts
built a home with their own hands
Family's Magical Cob House
Tiny House Giant Journey channel
18 minutes of a tour of a cob house
and the techniques they used
wattle and daub
wattle and daub tutorial
video
describes the difference in tree sources; how to make mud;
willow grows faster than hazelnut, and completely renewable
Stefan Barry Leszczynski channel
coppiced trees to produce wattle
Coppiced Willow Withies: Endless Supply of Wattle
video
coppiced tree grows new wattle every year
growing a wattle patch to produce wattle for weaving fences
Good and Basic channel
living fence
Hedge or Art!? 2 Years growing a living fence from willow
video
Field to Farm channel
bamboo, willow, hazelnut trees... strong and renewable
if you use this technique... of bending the hazel onto the next tree...
the tree continues to grow and creates a hedge...
Some techniques only bend the lower branches
and allow the height to build... which will stop deer...
but is also a food resource for deer and other wildlife.
EDIBLE FENCES can also be shaped from raspberry bushes.
If you take away the animals' foraging land... give something back.
the hazelnut
hazelnut tree in bloom
video
tree produces male & female and is self-pollinating
make a deer fence, weave from tree to tree
deer will eat the far side leaves and nuts
Great Escape Farms channel
willow structure design
Bonnie Gale - Willow Artist - Artist Cafe
video
WSKG Public Media channel
make your places beautiful !!!
just go look and see... the beautiful houses you can build...