Tents on wheels give homeless people roof and pride

[Greylyn58]

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Brenda Gardenhire shows off her new home with pride. It looks like an oversized shopping cart covered with a khaki canvas. But to her, it's "wonderful" -- a stepping stone to get her off the streets and get her life back in order.

"It's like your own home, your own apartment, your own room," she said, showing off the 7-foot-long living space on wheels. "No one else can come in here but me."

Gardenhire is talking about her makeshift home called an EDAR, which stands for Everyone Deserves A Roof. The units are being distributed to homeless people in the Los Angeles area by the Everyone Deserves A Roof nonprofit organization.

It's the brainchild of "Revenge of the Nerds" movie producer Peter Samuelson, who has spent much of his life working with charities to help impoverished children.

He got the idea to help the homeless in recent years as he rode his bicycle from Los Angeles to the beach at Santa Monica. Video Watch a canvas-covered 'home' for the homeless »

On those bike rides, he began seeing more and more homeless people. But he didn't just whiz by. He stopped to talk with them -- 62 people in all. One by one, he listened to their needs and what they wanted most: a roof over their heads. And the idea for the EDAR was born.

"If you had to define the value of a civilization, it's not how many SUVs you've got," Samuelson said. "To me, I think it's how well do we take care of our children, our homeless people, our mentally ill, those less fortunate."

more at link.....


http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/wayoflife/03/10/homeless.tents/index.html



Certainly this isn't a cure or a solution to homelessness, but I can see where it can help those in need--not having to sleep on the cold ground or where it's wet and damp. Having some place to call their own can give back a sense of pride to these men, women and families who have lost everything. Maybe it can be a stepping stone to helping them regain what has been lost.


fixed...hope this helps. :)

[villager]

1. Link doesn't seem to be working...

I'd love to see a picture!

[Obamanaut]

2. Link did not work for me "Page not found" nt

[Speck Tater]

3. Here's a link that works

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/wayoflife/03/10/homeless.tents/

[Warpy]

4. That's a great idea!

Now all we need to do is persuade city councils that parks and some parking lots should be turned over to them at night to provide safer places to set up camp.

It's only an interim solution. What we need is affordable housing for marginal workers. We're one of the few first world countries that doesn't subsidize such housing for our working poor. What housing that was once there has now been gentrified into urban mansions.

Until we get a more rational economy, this looks like a viable solution.

[Greylyn58]

9. It's obviously not a perm solution, but

it certainly helps those in need.

[thereismore]

5. This is fantastic! How much better is sleeping in EDAR compared to on the ground?

About infinity.

[Terran]

6. This was posted at DU a few weeks ago

and discussed to death. Just fyi...

[david13]

7. Here is another link that gives a view of the tent

http://blog.warcom.com.au/2008/12/17/edar-housing-for-our-homeless/

[Cleita]

8. I went into San Luis Obispo Saturday to do some shopping and noticed some

homeless riding around on bicycles with little canvas covered totes they were pulling behind them. I haven't kept up with local news lately, but could it be that some charities are distributing bicycles and tents to these hopeless souls who have fallen through the cracks?

[Lyric]

10. This is a FANTASTIC idea! If I had money, I'd donating a crapload of it right now.

The goal is to get these people into real homes, but these are wonderful in the interim. Getting to sleep on a real mattress, out of the rain, away from the bugs and broken glass and piss on the ground?? HELL YEAH!

This girl from a poor family that has occasionally been homeless THOROUGHLY approves. If only everyone in America cared as much as these people do.

For those of you who are financially comfy--please donate to this organization? As for me, I'm going to find out how we can get these locally, too. I love the idea of setting up EDAR parks with hot showers, soup kitchen dropoffs, trash facilities, and other things to make homeless life a bit more bearable.

[Lyric]

11. EDAR official website--more PICS and more info!

http://edar.org/new/index.html