Everyday each and every one of us are solving problems and
making choices. We need to eat,
have a safe place to sleep and a space to keep our stuff. We all want a place
to call home. While you may take it for granted that you have these issues
covered, not every does.
This documentary is about the people solving these basic
issues and creating a space they call home. First you need a bed, place to keep
your clothes, a source of water and a long list of necessities. Once you get the basics taken care of the
desire begins for the luxuries.
Homeless people are no different than the rest of the
population. They want a little luxury in their living space too. The first luxury on the list tends to
be electricity. With that you can watch television, power a fan and run a whole
host of appliances such as a hot plate to cook with.
Now how can a homeless person get electricity you might ask?
When there is a will, there is a way. As far back as the 1990’s electricity showed
up in shantytowns by way of streetlights. No, not just the light itself but it also
the power it delivered in the form of electricity.
At the base of the streetlight there is an electrical box
and wires. Now the juice in them was a 220 current and some homeless people
were smart enough to rewire it down to 110 and create an outlet to plug things
in. There were fires in the shantytowns so we may assume that occasionally the
source may have been from a bad electrical issue.
In the photo is John. He was a quiet man I met in the 1990’s
while the mental institutions had released all the patients to the streets of
Miami. I always assumed he was a former patient since he lacked people skills
and never talked much. He barely ever spoke. What he lacked in the art of
communication he made up for in technical ability. He sat in his shanty by day
and fixed broken appliances he found in the garbage.
Presently, when homeless camps want electricity they run
small personal generators. There is an issue of not having the generators get
stolen but that is something they need to cope with as part of daily survival.
If you were facing dire circumstances such as homelessness
what luxury would you want and how far would you go to manifest and maintain it?
