Occupy: sleeping in our storage locker

[shootingstar]

I nearly freaked several days ago, when I went down to pick up my bike from my locked storage locker at 6:15 am:

There was someone sleeping in one of the unlocked, empty storage lockers. I could see some bedding sheets, the cord of a iPhone.
I was so rattled that I had to leave to get to work. I was in an isolated, closed area in my condo building.


I told members of our condo board and advised we have to instruct everyone to put a lock on our storage lockers --whether or not they store anything insdie. It's not a place for living and safety issue for everyone. The area is beside an underground parking area.

A day later, another condo board member found a young man, well-groomed and clean sleeping there (in the morning) and escorted him out without incident. It is not clear how long he had been sleeping in our storage locker area.


It is really sobering when this occurs since
*we do live in a nice building in a nice area of town (downtown)
*the person must be choosing to run away or lacks some sort of support

Occupy Calgary has their little encampment less than 3 km. away.

[OakLeaf]

I'm not sure what that has to do with Occupy, except for the obvious:

(1) the movement is protesting policies that have greatly exacerbated homelessness; and

(2) the movement is exposing a small group of middle-class and recently middle-class people to issues that homeless people have always faced, and they're publicizing their problems in ways that were ignored when homeless people complain about rats, sexual assaults, and no place to use the bathroom.


Stereotypes to the contrary, most homeless people don't choose to be homeless, and of those who do, most choose homelessness because the other alternatives open to them are worse. If by "some sort of support" you mean a job that pays a living wage or a decent safety net for the unemployed, well ...



I DO understand, choosing to let homeless people camp in your building is not an easy decision. I'm not sure what I'd do, and I've got no criticism of those who would evict them from residential spaces. But it's worth remembering that the stories that have survived the Depression of people opening their homes to the homeless are stories of charity and kindness and humanity, not stories of victimization.

[shootingstar]

Suffice to say that the condo board right now has a $30,000 deficit and growing probably because we don't have a reserve fund...which is bad. And it's a new building. (Not worth the details on this forum..) So even turning off lights in some underused public areas is a big deal for us (ie. garbage room, storage locker, etc.)

We actually have a security problem of other situations related to strangers getting into parking areas, etc. The young man was a stranger and trespassing.

As for unemployed...I've been there twice for many months each time...and know there is a thin line that separates between us and the homeless. I made use of whatever govn't program services available for unemployed during those times. Yes, being unemployed means being misunderstood --often enough.
The young man probably needed to see a job counsellor, etc.
Maybe see this situation if reframed: Would you allow some homeless people to sleep in your backyard and use your washroom, etc.?

I know it's enough to have adult children who are unemployed and living with their parents..

[OakLeaf]

What I said in my last paragraph.

I still don't see why you connect this to Occupy. Are you saying it would be better for these young men to join the movement than be isolated in their homelessness? If so, I agree.

[lph]

Uh, what is "Occupy"? Is that a general term for the whole movement that started with Occupy Wall Street?
I thought the whole point of this movement (in a practical sense) was camping out in a certain spot together.

Sorry to be dumb, but it hasn't really taken hold here, so I just get the rough gist of it through the papers.

[OakLeaf]

Most people would say the current movement began with the so-called Arab Spring, although AFAIK the name "Occupy" did originate with the Wall Street group.

The literal, physical occupations are a way of saying tangibly that they aren't going away. But there are a lot of participants in the daily actions and General Assemblies who aren't staying the night.

It's an evolving movement, and *that* is the point. Organizers and facilitators are doing their best to ensure that the movement continues to evolve, and that specific goals and methods are chosen carefully. That can make it difficult to describe in sound bites, but that, I think is an illustration of the failure of modern media and of media consumers' attention spans, not of the movement.

Occupy Together is sort of a clearinghouse site and possibly a useful place to start to understand the movement. The best way to understand any local Occupation, obviously, is to attend a General Assembly or two, for anyone nearby.

[lph]

Thanks, Oak. I was wondering about the link.

[jyyanks]

I would be freaked out if I went to take things out of a storage locker and found someone sleeping there. I'm sure you pay maintenance fees and part of those fees should ensure a safe environment. As a woman, I wouldn't want to go down to a dark basement in the wee hours of the morning to retrieve my stuff only to find a trespassing stranger there. I'm not saying that the man that was sleeping there was a psycho, but he COULD have been.

Would I allow a homeless person to sleep on my backyard or use my bathroom? Sorry but probably not but I would give them a meal and direct them to a shelter. To me, that's doing my part without sacrificing my safety/security. In this day and age, you never know if people are good people who got themselves in a bad situation or crazy people who could kill your whole family if you let them in your house. Call me cynical but I've read too many horror stories.

[OakLeaf]

it hasn't really taken hold here

I can't imagine why.

[shootingstar]

Yea, I shouldn't have even mentioned Occupy anything.

But part of the Occupy movement is partially (a small, but important part) about inequities of economy and housing that is causing homelessness in some situations. But I'm sorry to have even mentioned about it locally.

No, I actually think he's better served to go directly to social service agency/housing shelter. I'm not convinced right now Occupy movement in our city is gaining a whole lot of traction. This is a conservative city that is hell-bent on making money. The presence of advocacy groups is small, marginalized voices are barely heard in the local media often, etc.

I think it's better in our area that instead the people overtly ask for work with signage asking for a job. We are in the midst of a boom in certain oil and energy industries ---right now in this province.

Anyway here's a woman who incredibly was homeless a few years ago, but managed to buy a home with abit of help..she has 3 children.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe...rticle2226010/

I cannot even begin to say how important it is, for people and their own mental health/motivation to get out to do volunteer work, learn a new skill (no matter how small) and to attend job skills workshops, etc. I've been there and it's important to be with people who are learning, surviving in the same way but giving yet learning at the same time.

[lph]

I can't imagine why.

Yah, I know, we're spoilt rotten

[Jolt]

I would be freaked out if I went to take things out of a storage locker and found someone sleeping there. I'm sure you pay maintenance fees and part of those fees should ensure a safe environment. As a woman, I wouldn't want to go down to a dark basement in the wee hours of the morning to retrieve my stuff only to find a trespassing stranger there. I'm not saying that the man that was sleeping there was a psycho, but he COULD have been.

Would I allow a homeless person to sleep on my backyard or use my bathroom? Sorry but probably not but I would give them a meal and direct them to a shelter. To me, that's doing my part without sacrificing my safety/security. In this day and age, you never know if people are good people who got themselves in a bad situation or crazy people who could kill your whole family if you let them in your house. Call me cynical but I've read too many horror stories.

I couldn't agree more. It's a major security issue to have a random stranger taking up residence in the storage lockers. If I had walked into that situation, I would have been freaked out...talk about feeling ambushed. Then I probably would have turned around, walked out and called the cops. Nothing against homeless people, just against people sneaking into places they shouldn't be and making me feel unsafe on my own turf.

[Trek420]

The young man probably needed to see a job counsellor, etc.

We never know. There are many homeless who are employed. They simply don't make enough for first, last, deposit. Your coworker might be homeless, a kid your kid goes to school with, the person who rang you up at the store ...

[goldfinch]

Job counselors are not going to get millions of people jobs. There are too many who are unemployed. And as Trek said, there are homeless that are employed, especially in high cost of living areas.

My sister recently had her ex-husband move in with her. He was a computer programmer, laid of more than 2 years ago. He has worked hard to find work, even grunt work. Not even the Census hired him. Finally, his unemployment and savings ran out. My sister cares about him as a friend. So they live together again. I can't imagine trying to find work in your 50s after a couple of years without a job. And he does volunteer work. He does a few free lance jobs here and there. But not enough to live on in California.

Warning, political rant: Our country is doing next to nothing to get people working. Instead, we are obsessed with the deficit and saying "no spending, end of story." Spend money on jobs and maybe we will have more taxpayers to help with that deficit.

[shootingstar]

You're right that the employed maybe homeless, ie. sleeping /camping in their car. Which I did notice when I would walk to the transit rail station in Vancouver and saw same car in 5:30 am with same person just sitting there. Car was abit old, but ok looking.

Glad your ex-brother in law has a home for now, goldfinch and that he's making productive use of time. Important for mental health.

It amuses me in a dark way, to read magazine articles about leaving a job one doesn't like to find something more satisfying by being self-employed or finding another job. I don't think it's that easy as it's made to be in the glossy magazines. That has not been my experience --at all.

I guess-- if one is in their 20's or if one is highly mobile to travel across the country to accept that job offer.

Being self-employed or seeing someone start up their own business, is alot of hard work and networking. There are times of feast and near famine depending on the type of biz.

The value of a job counsellor is provide some tools and structure for people who need practical support and ongoing motivation/perseverance. I have nothing but good things to say of my experiences since they offered valuable, practical advice. And I needed it ..no matter how experienced/well-educated I was.