Should we talk about homeless shelters on this forum?

[mikeschn]

I have a question for you guys, and I need your opinion.

I've built a couple homeless shelters, sleeping pods if you will. I've got two different designs, and angib and I are now working on a third.

My question is, are you guys interested in seeing what I've done? Are you interested in helping us tweak the design(s)? Should I start a new section for homeless shelters?

Or is this information that is best placed somewhere else on the internet so we don't drift too far away from the real subject... which is Teardrops... oh and tiny travel trailers!

Your thoughts please.

Thanks,

Mike...

[bonnie]

I have often thought I could live in the trailer, if I had to. I'd say add it in.

[GPW]

Thinking that’s a Great and Noble idea !!! ... With the current state of the economy , we’re all two weeks away from being homeless...

[doug hodder]

Or is this information that is best placed somewhere else on the internet so we don't drift too far away from the real subject... which is Teardrops... oh and tiny travel trailers!

I think so. Doug

[Fenlason]

While teardrops and TTT are still the core of this forum.. I think there has also been a lot of drifting already...

I think, you try it… you have some good creative minds here.. and there would be a lot of cross over info.. materials and techniques.

The only real possible downside, is reaching others interested in that specific topic [although the way the google and other search engines work.. I think people would get "here" pretty easily.

[Larry C]

This forum has drifted far and wide from it's "Teardrop Trailers" origin, but that isn't necessarily bad. If one has no interest in a particular topic, they can just ignore it. The wealth of building experience from members should add to this noble effort. Personally I look forward to possibly contributing to the design ideas. I say go for it...

Larry C

[Verna]

Mike, yes, I would be interesting in the designs of all of the designs from the collective minds here (you guys amaze with your ingenuity!!).

I had one homeless man at a truck stop in Ohio look in wonder at my Little Guy Silver Shadow. I could just see the wheels turning in his head thinking about how he could live in it.

[Dale M.]

IF its along the lines of "shelter" I don't mind, might be kind of interesting, but if it gets into the defense of the "lifestyle" I don't think I would care for it to much..... Do not misunderstand, I know there are some who are needy and are not homeless by choices, but there are a lot that have chosen this life style because its easier to own nothing, pick up off the land and let other feed and cloth you and provide you with a place to sleep.... Just another type of society drop outs... And no I don't care for a deep discussion or need to defend "homelessness" in any way.... Keep it to "shelter".....

Dale

[Verna]

Yes, I do agree with Dale that we do need to keep politics and reasons for homelessness out of the topic.

[oakinteriors1]

Sound like a real good topic..I tried to generate a way to fund homeless shelters only it didn't take off....
The shelters really needed to raffle these off instead of auction...
http://www.westcoastpaddler.com/communi ... f=7&t=6052

[Oldragbaggers]

I think this could be appropriate here, as a section of it's own, since it involves the construction of small shelters. Ideas that get put into play with these shelters may have a lot of crossover and end up being ideas that people can also use in the construction of their teardrops and tiny travel trailers. How can more good construction ideas be a bad thing??

That being said.....I would also add to the concerns voiced about keeping the politics out of it. I am also on a Cruisers Forum for boaters and one of the ugliest threads I have ever seen started out as a thread about boats being a viable alternative housing option for homeless people. Folks who had been friends on the forum for years ended up fighting like cats and dogs. Administrators had to lock out that thread, and several others that have come up on the topic since. (It seems like there is always someone who wants to keep the fight going and will just go start another thread about it.) It has become a real bone of contention that, once started, has been hard to stop.

It is obvious that this forum is no longer strictly about teardrops and tiny travel trailers anymore anyway, and for some people almost has a Facebook aspect to it where they want to post all their life status updates all the time. In some ways I get that because a lot of us have met other members camping and have become friends, although I do think that if you have come here looking for INFORMATION sometimes wading through all that stuff can be daunting. Personally, I have been here long enough to know how to pick through the posts. I think one thing that might help that for those less initiated to the forum would be to tighten up the definition of the "General Discussion" section so that it is general discussion of teardrops and tiny travel trailers only, and have all the Facebook type stuff go in the off topic section.

[dguff]

We have already strayed so far from the original premise that I don't see any harm in having another topic which we can choose to skip.

Jerome

[Greg M]

Sure, it'll give us something to do over the winter.

[Martiangod]

A warm dry place to sleep, portable, affordable, seams like the very thing discussed here daily.
I've been basically homeless and semi mobile for the past year and a half. some of my time in my little trailer and about 14 months in a travel trailer. Down as low as -40 degrees.
It is an interesting place to be put in for whatever reason. And shelter is paramount to survival and making the next step.
Go for it Mike...Bravo to you for considering this step...Now take it

[jonw]

I'm interested.

Here's an idea: it would be great if we could design something that could be used for shelter after disasters, such as we've recently seen in the Phillipines and elsewhere.

Perhaps something pre-fab-like that could be easily put together for a small family to live in for a (hopefully) limited amount of time, that would get them out of the weather. These could be manufactured and stockpiled so that they could be ready to ship to where ever needed after a disaster, and possibly packaged with some dried/canned food and a small stove and minimal kitchen supplies (ie. can opener, pot, silverware, etc.).

Once we have a design maybe some of us could get together or a week or two and build a prototype or two. Then organizations like the Red Cross and/or FEMA might be interested in our design. I find it hard to believe nobody has thought of this or done it before...

Anyway, it could our contribution to the non-TTT world. What do you think?