Essays Contents
An Enclave
March 7, 2024
The Dog Patch Hostel in Anchorage, Alaska had rules.
Every person that stayed... whether overnight or long termed...
had to sign a register that was also an agreement
that that person would abide by the house rules
or run the risk of being evicted on the spot.
House rules were posted on the kitchen door
and on a cork bulletin board in the dining room.
Such a place as this hostel...
which helped get decent, clean people out of homeless shelters...
(and also had two private rooms for out-of-state adventurers...
that they could lock and feel secure overnight...)
... such a place as that... would not work in the "lower 48."
In Alaska, you knew that everyone carried... at least a knife.
In Alaska, you minded your behavior... just a bit more.
Rules at the hostel were things like:
--- Keep your bunk, drawer, and belongings neat and tidy
--- No open drinking on the premises
--- If you come in drunk, you must go straight to your bunk
--- Quiet hours are from 10:00 pm until 7:00 am
--- No loud music
--- No ticking clocks or loud alarms; muffle the clock
--- Entry doors must be kept locked; you must have a key
--- Clean up after yourself in kitchen and bathroom
--- Don't touch anyone else's food
--- Don't touch anyone else's belongings
--- Keep belongings in a lockable box to prevent theft.
--- Store weapons and extra supplies in the office
--- Bathrooms are for necessary use only; be as quick as possible
--- Dry your towels or wet things on a hanger near your bunk
--- Wash your sheets and towels regularly in the basement
A hostel wouldn't work in the lower 48... because of...
too many drugs and too many trouble-makers.
There would have to be a clearinghouse for renters...
maybe a type of member ID... that shows no violent history.
I've done tons of research on... starter type housing.
I think... surely there is a way to have a home
that does not require a lifetime of indentured servitude...!
For instance... I thought...
there could be a series of boarding houses.
Boarding houses were once quite common.
These were large old family houses that "took in boarders"
and also provided meals... often for the unmarried or retired.
Or... there could be a series of larger houses... similarly...
that provided a locked bedroom and a shared kitchen and den.
You would cook your own food... and share a bathroom.
I wondered... would it work better if the rooms
also had a small kitchenette... a hot plate and refrigerator...?
And... it would take stress off of the tenants' cordiality
if each tenant had a private bathroom.
I ended up kinda liking this... idea.
The drawings in these pictures depict a motel room
that Stephon and I rented by the week... near Las Vegas.
These units were so small... it must have come from the 1930's.
In a 12ft by 8ft room... it had a place for everything.
The units were built in a row... sharing a wall between.
Hmm... maybe it would be better it these walls were built
of concrete blocks... and not... old wall board.
But it was clean and well-maintained. No carpet.
The mattress even had a plastic cover on it...!
It was $50. a week. All bills were paid.
Each unit had a water cooler... which costs very little to run
compared to central air conditioners.
It was ALL we needed...
a safe place to sleep...
and a safe place for our belongings.
I'll do the math someday... on how much this would cost
to put together a prototype of an enclave housing unit
like this.
--- An acre of land
--- Cement slabs
--- Plumbing and electric
--- Concrete blocks
--- Linoleum flooring
--- Toilet, sinks, cabinets, doors...
--- etc etc etc... all the details...
Figure the total cost... divide this by the 20 units...
and decide the "break-even"... figure...
then... figure the cost of a 10-year mortgage payment...
as cheap as it could ever get on the market...
$150. a month perhaps...
and let struggling people buy a unit... or rent-to-buy it.
And then allowing the sale of that unit by that person...
only at cost... and only through the management council...
but... meaning there would be equity in return.
This would enable a person... to get a foothold on a good life.
Time to move to a family house perhaps...?
Someone... rebuilt their life... without any more help at all...?
and was now ready to move on...?
and all they needed was... a place to start...?
Some people would continue to live there after it was paid off...
and then, just pay an amount to cover the utilities.
A "starter home" for the homeless...!
There could be funds through organizations or individuals
that might cover this monthly cost... for the unemployables...
"unemployable" meaning... no one wants to accept the liability...
no one would ever hire them... or... they are disabled.
Each could be helped... on a private basis...
no need to fill out federal applications
or need to tell the gruesome details to the whole world.
But... there's always something useful to be done...
or something beautiful to make...
whatever a struggling person can manage.
I've thought of many ways of solving the problem
of... accessible low-level housing... housing for our homeless...
housing for prisoners... housing for the disabled or retired...
It's not so much that I believe that...
"there, but by the grace of God, go I"...
it's that I believe that a human being's natural state is... dignity.
It is the LOSS of that sense of dignity that we are seeing.
I don't think they are all having fun... in the street.
I think... their problems... were too big for them.
I could NEVER say, "it's their own fault that they need help"...
... "they made their choices... let them live with them"...
When a person applies for a job
they are asked for an address.
Should they write "St. Francis Shelter"...?
to add to their personal humiliation...?
or couldn't they rather...
proudly write a REAL address of a REAL home...
And... how can one register to vote... without an address...?
To have any chance of climbing out of a hole
every person needs a safe place... to start.
Every person... needs a home.
"Be it ever so humble... there is no place like home."
