Thanks to a generous private donor and the help of Heather Taracka, Chris Daun, Randy Croy, Christian Weaver, Greg Gimbert, Laurie Miller, Gwen Azama-Edwards, and others, the website and blog is now up and there’s a lot to read about. We have articles, film and audio clips, links, and plenty of photos that should give anyone a good introduction to what Villages for the Homeless is all about.
Tiger Bay Village could be a one-stop shop for the diverse needs of the homeless where services can be consolidated for the maximum benefit of both the homeless and the rest of us. It would have sections for the adult homeless who are still suffering or recovering from drug and alcohol abuse, as well as a separate “neighborhood” for the clean and sober. Even though the village would be secular, churches and other faith-based organizations could have sections within the village where they could practice their unique approach, in a setting where they can be more effective.
Homelessness is not something that exists in isolation. Much of the problem with the current approach is that we have been trying to deal with homelessness on a piecemeal basis instead of as a community system. We have been trying to fit broken pieces into a wider system that is in itself seriously flawed in terms of automobile over-dependency, the war on drugs, how we deal with poverty and incarceration, and many other issues. This is why we should focus on creating a village-a place where the whole constellation of psychological and physical needs can be addressed in a beautiful rural setting that is separate from the the perils of the stressed-out cities.
It is also a problem that we need to solve together. All cities will benefit from cleaning up the problems caused by homelessness and they should all contribute some of the savings they will derive from a regional solution. Ultimately it will cost us less than than the current approach, while giving all of us much more.
Michael E. Arth