Provide homeless with transition housing

Create transitional housing for homeless

Dear President Obama

We petition you to create a task force to help the many homeless by using new ways to provide temporary and transitional shelters.


Many homeless are living on the streets and in tents because existing homeless shelters are overcrowded and limiting. There are ways to provide temporary transitional shelter for the many homeless created by the financial crisis. The newly homeless include unemployed but highly employable single young people, families with children whose sole/both wage earners were laid of, and families whose home was foreclosed due to toxic asset in the banks.


We urge you to initiate legislation to allow zoning bylaw changes so temporary transitional shelters can be created, using innovative concepts, such as <a href="http://homelessness.change.org/blog/view/will_tiny_houses_provide_shelter_from_the_economic_storm">tiny houses</a> or storage units. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/JIdBlEG4GmA">These temporary transitional shelters</a> provide the newly homeless with a stable environment, a residential address, a place to start fresh in the economic recovery. Without a fixed address, these newly homeless will be forced into chronic conditions that will increase the tax burden on the states.


The tiny houses can be grouped together in&nbsp;urban community gardens. These gardens provide green spaces for the community, and also gardens for the temporary residents to grow food. These community gardens would be near high density urban locations, with coin laundry nearby, and community centers with swimming pool, and shower facilities. The temporary residents can be provided with free community center membership to use not only the gym and pool facilities but also the bathing areas. &nbsp;Food preparation is not a big issue if these tiny houses share a community kitchen with simple appliances.


After a short period of time, it is hoped that these residents will find permanent housing and the resulting vacancy can help others. When the economy is fully recovered, these transitional shelters can be used to help the chronic homeless, including those with addiction and other problems.


In addition, we urge you to create non-profit entities to participate in the Private-Public Investment Plan to purchase foreclosed properties as rental units for veterans, disabled, and families with children. They require accessibility and privacy that existing homeless shelters, and transitional tiny house shelters cannot provide. Funding for the non-profit entities can be from charitable donations and matched by government funding. This will help not only the homeless, but also the toxic assets in banks.

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