Showing posts with label property rights. Show all posts
Showing posts with label property rights. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

To Tent or Not to Tent?

Photo courtesy "Pinprick" @ Flickr
This post is not Midlands-focused but does raise questions about the intersection of property rights and homelessness. About 30 miles from my hometown, a proposal was floated to privately purchase land specifically for the use of homeless adults. The area would be set up as a campground for those in need to use while unhoused. As is often the case with NIMBY (not in my backyard) projects, there is a great deal of resistance with setting up a permanent space for those experiencing homelessness to utilize.

This raises interesting questions for me, such as:

What role should the government play in providing arbitration between the desires of property-owners and their neighbors?

Is this a viable model for non-metropolitan areas to meet the needs of their unhoused population without constructing a permanent (and often expensive) emergency shelter or transitional facility?

Plan For Homeless Tent City In Public Park Nixed - WESH Orlando