[URBANTH-L]NEWS: Neighbors Helping Neighbors -toBreakintoVacantHouses

Jahmeilah Roberson jahmeilah.richardson at gmail.com
Fri Feb 27 14:37:06 EST 2009


I am definitely interested in this issue from various angles since my  
dissertation work is centered on issues of homelessness. I am  
specifically looking at technology ownership which in some cases is  
closely tied to how recently someone became homeless. Part of the  
reason I became interested in this issue is because I have a cousin  
that recently lost her home and know other people who have lost their  
homes and businesses in the past year.

For those of you with experience outside of the US (or just with more  
knowledge of the issue) have you seen any differences in terms of  
incentives and aspirations for the homeless to create this types of  
movements? One of the big things I've found when looking at  
communities in the US vs. communities in Brazil (specifically in Sao  
Paulo since I plan to go there) is that the homeless I've met in the  
US have been less prone to create a sort of uprising. Some say its  
because the US is more of an individualistic society. I'm not exactly  
sure whether these things are true because I am associated with  
organizations that were started for and by homeless and recently  
homeless individuals (street papers, a digital photo club, and a  
literacy project). Do you think moving into foreclosed homes (or  
squatting in general) has to do with where in the US you live (LA vs  
Ann Arbor)? I'd be interested in hearing people's thoughts on this.

I am definitely up for helping and being part of the core group to  
form any type of organization or collective that is working towards  
finding a way to at least temporarily house people in foreclosed homes  
so please keep me in the loop. Also, my mom told me about the recent  
Oprah show and she was totally surprised by the amount of things that  
people left in their homes after they left and was wondering what  
happens to those things, does anyone know? It seems like banks could  
sell them (in some cases it was furniture, televisions, etc) or just  
put the value towards the debt owed by the recent owners but for some  
reason I doubt that's what happens.

Best,
jam

--
Jahmeilah Richardson Roberson
PhD Student
Department of Informatics
University of California, Irvine


On Feb 27, 2009, at 9:51 AM, Whitehead, Judith wrote:

> Hi,
>   I just wanted to say that I find this a fascinating discussion,  
> although I'm not working on it--at least not directly, but on  
> Mumbai's 'informal housing.'
>   I hope if a group forms around this issue that we can still be  
> informed, from time to time, of the issues and deliberations of the  
> core group.
>
> Best,
>
>
> Judy Whitehead
> Associate Professor
> Department of Anthropology
> 4401 University Way
> University of Lethbridge
> Lethbridge, AB
> T1K3M4
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: urbanth-l-bounces at lists.ysu.edu on behalf of Stephen C. Maack
> Sent: Wed 2/25/2009 6:42 PM
> To: dnonini at email.unc.edu; 'Alan Smart'; urbanth-l at lists.ysu.edu;  
> 'Angela Jancius'
> Subject: RE: [URBANTH-L]NEWS: Neighbors Helping Neighbors - 
> toBreakintoVacantHouses
>
> Thanks, Don and Alan.  I'm not going to AAA -- nor SfAA -- this year  
> since I
> can't afford it.  If others on the list are tiring of the  
> discussion, let's
> take it off URBANTH-L and communicate electronically, since interested
> people seem to be spread around the world.
>
> I'd be willing to set up a Yahoo! Group on which we could communicate
> further and one could post materials, articles, papers on the website
> associated with Yahoo! Groups.  Or a Google Group (although I've  
> never done
> one of those, I could learn...).
>
> Just FYI, Oprah Winfrey devoted her entire program today to showing  
> the
> faces of people in the U.S. affected by the deep recession, several  
> of whom
> were homeless, living in shelters, tent camps, and the rest of whom  
> were
> almost homeless and struggling to make ends meet/make do (living in an
> apartment and behind on the rent, in an office, taking in borders to  
> cover
> expenses).  I don't expect anthropologists to necessarily form a  
> separate
> group, but hope we might network outside of URBANTH-L, figure out  
> ways to
> connect to assorted local, national, or international efforts, share
> information amongst ourselves and ideas for action amongst  
> ourselves, and
> encourage one another in action and/or influence of policy.   
> Anthropologists
> have a lot to offer in these times.  There are lots of potential  
> contacts
> and pressure points.  Let's start to "just do it," start  
> communicating,
> figure out where to go from here, and see what happens.  Contact me  
> for more
> at smaack at earthlink.net if you are interested and have the time/ 
> energy to
> try.  Ciao.
>
> Warm Regards,
> Steve Maack
>
> Steve Maack
> smaack at earthlink.net
> Telephone:  310-384-9717
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: urbanth-l-bounces at lists.ysu.edu
> [mailto:urbanth-l-bounces at lists.ysu.edu] On Behalf Of Donald M. Nonini
> Sent: Wednesday, February 25, 2009 7:41 AM
> To: 'Alan Smart'; urbanth-l at lists.ysu.edu; 'Angela Jancius'
> Subject: RE: [URBANTH-L]NEWS: Neighbors Helping Neighbors -
> toBreakintoVacantHouses
>
> I agree with Alan that this has been a very interesting discussion  
> string. I
> would urge Stephen and like-minded colleagues, especially with  
> European
> experience, to get together (electronically or at the AAA) to  
> discuss this
> issue and his practical proposal to work to reduce homelessness in  
> the USA
> by opening up foreclosed residences for temporary occupation, which  
> has been
> implemented elsewhere (e.g. in Belgium as Rik made clear, and also I  
> believe
> in Spain).
>
> Writing personally, I think this is a very important policy issue,  
> and I
> agree with Stephen that anthropologists potentially have a lot to
> contribute. Perhaps a task force of urban anthropologists interested  
> in
> working on this and other challenges of the current deep economic  
> crisis is
> called for?
>
> Don Nonini
> Professor & Director of Graduate Studies Anthropology Department  
> University
> of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: urbanth-l-bounces at lists.ysu.edu
> [mailto:urbanth-l-bounces at lists.ysu.edu] On Behalf Of Alan Smart
> Sent: Monday, February 23, 2009 2:49 PM
> To: urbanth-l at lists.ysu.edu; 'Angela Jancius'
> Subject: RE: [URBANTH-L]NEWS: Neighbors Helping Neighbors - to
> BreakintoVacantHouses
>
> This has been an interesting string of discussion.  I've published a  
> couple
> of articles dealing with governmental toleration of illegal housing;
> surprisingly there is relatively little known in general about  
> toleration of
> illegality despite its frequency of occurrence.  References:
> Smart, Alan "Impeded self-help: toleration and the proscription of  
> housing
> consolidation in Hong Kong's squatter areas."  Habitat International
> 27:205-225 (2003).
>
> Smart, Alan "Unruly places: Urban governance and the persistence of
> illegality in Hong Kong's urban squatter areas."  American  
> Anthropologist
> 103(1):30-44 (2001).
>
> And for a broader perspective:  Heyman, Josiah and Alan Smart  
> "States and
> illegal practices:  An overview."  In Heyman (ed.)  States and Illegal
> Practices.", pp. 1-24.  Oxford:  Berg, 1999.
>
> Alan Smart
> U of Calgary
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: urbanth-l-bounces at lists.ysu.edu
> [mailto:urbanth-l-bounces at lists.ysu.edu] On Behalf Of Rik Pinxten
> Sent: February-20-09 3:05 AM
> To: smaack at earthlink.net; urbanth-l at lists.ysu.edu; 'Angela Jancius'
> Subject: Re: [URBANTH-L]NEWS: Neighbors Helping Neighbors - to Break
> intoVacantHouses
>
> dear colleagues,
> In Ghent and other cities in Belgium (and the netherlands) we have a
> tradition of at least a decade  where the Mayor and his services get  
> in
> contact with illegal occupants and make a deal with them.When the  
> houses or
> appartments are demolished or sold it in not uncomon that the  
> Elderman or
> mayor orders to find a new home for the occupants.
> Rik pinxten
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Stephen C. Maack" <smaack at earthlink.net>
> To: <urbanth-l at lists.ysu.edu>; "'Angela Jancius'" <jancius3022 at comcast.net 
> >
> Sent: Friday, February 20, 2009 1:51 AM
> Subject: RE: [URBANTH-L]NEWS: Neighbors Helping Neighbors - to Break
> intoVacantHouses
>
>
>> Comparative anthropology -- while I don't have precise references, I
>> know that in Europe (e.g., France, Germany) there has been a movement
>> going on for several years to take over vacant apartment buildings.
>> This is due to
>
>> a
>> lack of affordable housing and homelessness problems.  I think that
>> occupying vacant apartment buildings has also happened in some of the
>> larger U.S. cities (perhaps in NYC -- parts of Manhattan, Brooklyn or
>> the Bronx?).
>> Anyone have details on those movements?  Is taking over vacant single
>> family homes a variation on the theme?  I've lived in Minneapolis or
>> St. Paul for nine winters and don't blame anyone trying to get out of
>> the cold, or at least the wind, in mid-February!!  Breaking into
>> vacant houses is, of course, completely illegal.
>>
>> In relatively warm Southern California there are many, many vacant,
>> foreclosed homes that are virtually new in San Bernardino and
>> Riverside Counties in particular (until recently two of the fastest
>> growing counties in the United States).
>>
>> If this deep recession is going to last for some time, which is what
>> is expected, homelessness is only going to get worse and worse.
>> Someone has to start thinking of innovative solutions beyond mortgage
>> bailouts of current homeowners, and I can't think of a better group
>> than those of us on the Urbananth list.
>>
>> Here's an idea for consideration.  What if instead of just reacting,
>> observing, going "tsk, tsk" or talking about neoliberalism, some
>> applied urban anthropologists started becoming proactive with
>> solutions less dangerous to poor and middle-class victims of what has
>> transpired than illegal home occupancy?  For example, one idea might
>> be to talk to banks and social service agencies about setting up a
>> program to turn at least some of the vacant properties into at least
>> temporary shelter for families who have lost their homes due to no
>> particular fault of their own (e.g., lost a job in the economic
>> downturn, or lost a home due to a bank-encouraged bad mortgage
>> decisions).  Having so many homes on the market at the same time will
>> only further depress prices.  More and more homes are being put up  
>> for
>> lease near where I live (in a very good neighborhood), and not being
>> leased due to too high lease/rental prices (so that may eventually
>> force down prices).  So homes aren't going to turn over quickly
>> anyway, as owned or leased properties.  If banks with large stocks of
>> foreclosed homes let them out at very low rents for say six months or
>> a year they would have occupied properties less likely to be trashed
>> or used for illegal activities (shooting up drugs comes to mind...),
>> might at least cover the cost of utilities (electricity, heat, water)
>> -- especially important in cold climates to avoid damage to pipes  
>> and 
>> such -- and would certainly produce "good will" in the community.   
>> The
>> banks could phase the program and apply it to only some of their
>> properties or certain neighborhoods.  Applied anthropologists, social
>> service agencies, neighborhood groups, and banks could work together
>> to redefine "risk" and what constitutes an "acceptable tenant."  What
>> do you think?  Could it work?  Or am I just too much of an idealist,
>> not enough of a revolutionary, or too logical?  Why wouldn't/couldn't
>> this work?  Enlighten me....
>>
>> Best Regards,
>> Steve
>>
>> Steve Maack
>> smaack at earthlink.net
>> Telephone:  310-384-9717
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: urbanth-l-bounces at lists.ysu.edu
>> [mailto:urbanth-l-bounces at lists.ysu.edu] On Behalf Of Angela Jancius
>> Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2009 10:03 AM
>> To: urbanth-l at lists.ysu.edu
>> Subject: [URBANTH-L]NEWS: Neighbors Helping Neighbors - to Break into
>> VacantHouses
>>
>> Neighbors Helping Neighbors -- to Break Into Vacant Houses
>> http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/02/18-7
>>
>> Wednesday, February 18, 2009
>> Twin Cities Daily Planet
>> (Minneapolis - St. Paul, Minnesota)
>>
>> by Madeleine Baran
>>
>> Poverty rights activists broke into at least a dozen vacant
>> Minneapolis buildings this week and helped homeless families move in.
>>
>> "This is the modern underground railroad," said Cheri Honkala,
>> National Organizer for the Poor People's Economic Human Rights
>> Campaign, the group organizing the "takeovers."
>>
>> This week's actions are part of a growing national movement to
>> illegally open up thousands of vacant, foreclosed homes to provide
>> housing for the growing number of homeless people. Over 3,000
>> Minneapolis homes went into foreclosure in 2008. Advocates estimate
>> that over 7,000 Minnesotans are homeless. Most Twin Cities' homeless
>> shelters have been filled to capacity for months.
>> ...
>> /snip/
>>
>>
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