Interesting hobo structure... (pictures)

[TMG51]

I'm back in Burlington, Vermont - the last place I had a physical address before hitting the road. It's a nice city on Lake Champlain with a vibrant pedestrian center and heavy artist/hipster element. There has always been a homeless element living in the bushes and such outside of town, near the water, but as I come back after a year away I have to notice - they've grown in numbers, gotten more inventive, and more bold! There are several tents, tarp shelters and more set up on the outskirts of the city and no one appears to be hassling them in the least.

This one in particular is the most unique hobo structure I found out there. Give it a good look - it's made of plastic, cheap, light, probably pretty water tight, and this guy has lakefront real estate. Click to enlarge any pictures.




It appears to be built on bicycle wheels with some sort of frame, so presumably it's designed to be movable in the event of eviction.




It even has solar! ...sort of. Seriously though, even though this is a garden light, the leads from the panels are going inside... night light, or charging cell phone maybe?




Not really sure the purpose of the Pringles apparatus. It appears to be poked with holes for ventilation. Seems its base should have been sealed with tape so it may be an afterthought.




Since it's padlocked I take it the gentleman responsible was not home. I'm dubious of the value of this as a security measure, but, I had no desire to mess with his stuff and did not test it.




I have mixed feelings about the upward influx of homeless people establishing themselves on the waterfront. I'm a bit principled as a squatter, myself, never paying to park the van, and I admire when others can make that work. I enjoy that there are still areas of land that are not sanitized to the sensibilities of the masses and these areas are getting fewer and further between. But as compared to a year ago, as I've seen more homeless setting up down there now, I also see much more garbage down there now. Everything from discarded cans to clothes and who knows what else. And that's not cool. That's the sort of thing that leads to these areas being shut down, laws put in place, and snooty people turning their noses up. I did note that the architect of this hobo structure does not participate in the litter and obviously makes a deliberate effort to keep his things confined to his area (see bags by door), so, props to him.

 

[AltTransBikes]

The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed.

 

[Wanderer]

That's been a disturbing thing I am seeing with many homeless. Mounds of trash, appliances they have NO hope to run, why did they ever take them? and then the mounds of just true garbage, FF bags and styrofoam food containers thrown everywhere....

I knew one guy who was living out of a "Dig out" and he'd been there for 7 YEARS without anyone knowing. He knew how to hire and could have written a book on that.

 

[flying kurbmaster]

around where I am there is a lot of complaining going on about young backpakers who live out of vans and make a lot of garbage, shit in the bush etc, so much so that councils have been writing bylaws, I think this is crazy as now they have to enforce them, seems to me if the council would install and maintain a few garbage cans and a few more public toilets that the problem would be solved. Do you think this guy lived there all winter, it would be interesting to hear his\her story, It would be cool if you could meet him and talk to him and share it with us looks like a pretty ingenious kind of guy. if he found a few barrels he could float it off the shore,

 

[TMG51]

I suppose I could leave a note on his hobo hut asking to interview him or something... Perhaps leave a PBR olive branch gesture... Seems like it may be an interesting conversation.

 

[SoulRaven]

This is very sad indeed. We live in the most richest country's in the world and yet our people are living like this. This is the kind of things you see in 3rd world countries. Not that people should live like that anywhere in the world. Our government.....State and federal should put plans and resources into providing decent homes and conditions for our people that are suffering the indignities of having to live this way. And they can do it too, without much cost. The best way to take care of the homeless is.......guess what????? Give them homes to live in. It is being done now already in Nevada and some parts of NY and other states as well. They have found out that the best and cheapest way to help the homeless and the problems that are caused by it are to give homeless people decent homes to live in with, kitchens, bathrooms, and a secure safe place to live. It's about dignity and the right thing to do.

Even though this person has tried to make as much of a home out of the corrugated plastic and duct tape, they are still living in a box. I can only assume that if the person was given a nice, clean, and safe place to live they would choose to be in it.

Am I wrong?

 

[BradKW]

 The best way to take care of the homeless is.......guess what????? Give them homes to live in. It is being done now already in Nevada and some parts of NY and other states as well. They have found out that the best and cheapest way to help the homeless and the problems that are caused by it are to give homeless people decent homes to live in with, kitchens, bathrooms, and a secure safe place to live. It's about dignity and the right thing to do.

Even though this person has tried to make as much of a home out of the corrugated plastic and duct tape, they are still living in a box. I can only assume that if the person was given a nice, clean, and safe place to live they would choose to be in it.

Am I wrong?

Hmm, yes, wrong in so many ways  

The government has already attempted to "give people housing" in the form of Section 8. It played a huge role in completely ruining the minority communities and families. Add in welfare incentives to have more children and not work, one could comprehensibly argue that liberalism has perpetrated a great evil upon the economic lower class.

Russia took it a step further and gave out jobs too. I probably don't need to describe how that worked out.

I suspect that that person who's hut is pictured here would choose to stay in his hut where he doesn't have to be monitored by the government in order to simply live as he wishes. Maybe TMG will get to interview him    

 

[SternWake]

I suspect that that person who's hut is pictured here would choose to stay in his hut where he doesn't have to be monitored by the government in order to simply live as he wishes.      

That's what the structure shown said to me via the pics.  But then, he needs some camouflage tarps/netting

 

[TMG51]

It's also my guess that someone showing that degree of inventiveness, who is able and willing to design this thing, has done so by choice. Someone who can get his stuff together to do that ought to be able to get a job and an apartment if he wanted.

I might be wrong. But that was my impression.

 

[skyl4rk]

The reason that homelessness is so popular is because people don't need all the stuff that normal society believes one must have. Large houses are not needed. You can live well in a small shelter, even in snow country. Our vans are proof that small shelters are enough, and for many of us, they are better than typical houses or apartments. The work needed to maintain the complicated systems of a house is enough to drive many homeowners into a smaller shelter.

 

[sushidog]

Since government creates nothing, but only redistributes wealth, anything the government "gives" you must first be taken from someone else. I don't want to be the one they are stealing from, do you? Actually I was one of them, maybe that's why I feel this way. After Hurricane Katrina my DW lost her job (actually the business went underwater - literally.) We were doing OK on just my income till the Parrish Government decided they needed more taxes and couldn't get a property tax rate increase passed by the voters, so they decided to re-assess everyone's property to much more than it was actually worth, causing everyone's property taxes to skyrocket. Long story short, I couldn't afford the 1,000% increase in my property taxes so we lost our home (a simple 40 yr old house in the country that my dad built with his own hands - lest anyone think I was living beyond my means). The sad part is I doubt any of this tax money was used to house or even help people, though it sure de-housed me.

On the other hand, I believe in private charity, both religious and secular, and regularly give to the American Red Cross, one of my favorites, as I was a recipient of their benevolence after Hurricane Katrina with hot meals when we had little to eat, and I will forever feel blessed because of it, restoring my faith in my fellow man (well at least some of them.)

Chip

 

[towhee]

The reason that homelessness is so popular is because people don't need all the stuff that normal society believes one must have.  

That's kind of where I am at. I don't need/don't want the type of house which is "normal" in the developed world. I don't want that much space and the complex and expensive systems which feed it. My sticks and bricks home has 1500 watts of solar which covers all my needs when I am in that house. IN contrast, my van home has 100 watts of solar which also covers my needs. Does that mean I live 15 times better in the house than in the van?  No, I have all the power I need in the van. it just means that the house uses 15  times more resources to keep me at a similar level of comfort. 

I have thought a lot about resource use over the last year of being a part time van dweller and part time sticks and bricks.

I want to build and live in a teensy house, not much bigger than a van. And yet that kind of house does not conform to building codes. I know I could build that kind of house in a part of the country with no building codes. But, I want to live here.

I have not yet resolved this conundrum. Perhaps over time a way will appear.

So, in the meantime I feel a bit betwixt and between two worlds. In one world people live in large expensive sturdy standardized buildings, in the other world people live in small, handmade structures built often from found and scavenged materials.

 

[TMG51]

I'm back in Burlington, Vermont - the last place I had a physical address before hitting the road. It's a nice city on Lake Champlain with a vibrant pedestrian center and heavy artist/hipster element. There has always been a homeless element living in the bushes and such outside of town, near the water, but as I come back after a year away I have to notice - they've grown in numbers, gotten more inventive, and more bold! There are several tents, tarp shelters and more set up on the outskirts of the city and no one appears to be hassling them in the least.

This one in particular is the most unique hobo structure I found out there. Give it a good look - it's made of plastic, cheap, light, probably pretty water tight, and this guy has lakefront real estate. Click to enlarge any pictures.

I just talked with this chap yesterday and shook his hand. Turns out, there are *two* people that live in that thing! A fellow and his girlfriend.

I asked him why he was there, about building it, etc. For the most part he confirmed my assumptions in that he deliberately built this thing. He does envision an upgraded model, and is looking to build something more mobile. He was also visibly hesitant to answer my questions until I said, "Well I understand, I live in a van..." and at that his face lit up and he replied, "OH! Are you the guy with the big Phoenix Class B?" Yep. That's me. He had seen my van around town and taken note of it.

He has also replaced the Pringles can with a salvaged bit from a spaghetti strainer.

Burlington has an intricate hobo network, it seems.

 

[towhee]

Thanks for the update.

I am reading "Tent city urbanism" right now.

I am hopeful that there will be more space in the legal and regulatory system for alternative living arrangements in the future.


And BTW in my travels this year I was really struck by how much interest there was in my van and how I live in it. And most often they were people much like me. Single women in their later years. We are everywhere!

 

[RVTravel]

Dallas ran off everybody in the local "tent city". I have not followed what has happened afterwards. Some were placed in apartments, but others just moved down the road so I hear.

 

[Mobilesport]

Is that pringles can a wifi antenna?