How does one live without a house?

Session: 1-2:30pm
Convener: Bobcat Carruthers
Convener's contact information: 860-575-9385
List of Participants: Bobcat, Todd Wormell, Fred Cervin, Gaianne Jenkins, Maria Pinango, Meg, Bernard, Patty, Sarah Kirshner

Discussion and Recommendations

Discussion
-This might be an approach when you cannot afford rent
ways: Wigman, Car, public spaces (lounges), joining a tent city....
-Homelessness can result in a lack of sleep
-Sleep and rest are not human rights, so need for camouflage
-Need for safety
-What do you need to live without a house?
-protection from water
-protection from wind
-access to warmth
-access to water
-access to facilities (bathroom, shower.....)
-access to fuel and energy sources(propane, gasoline, wood, solar panels)
-access to food
-ways to keep animals out of your food (metal cans, prepare what you will eat and no more(no waste!)
-Perks to living "outside"? --> Connection to natural world, a simpler life (simpler solutions to everyday problems, and you tend to always have what you need provided you are off-grid) save money, get more exercise, a slower life.
-Connection to transition?
--> must commute to towns for resources (health care, friends....)
--> in general it is a more sustainable lifestyle


So: how does one live without a house? answer: like a happy dog.

Dogs are happy when: they have food they like, warmth, a pack to hang out with, a warm body to lean on, and the open air (long walks) (Diogenes the Cynic)

Recommendations:

- Choose to live below the limit of your economic ability (leads to sustainability)
- Start small
- Identify your needs (need to be in touch? get a cell-phone)
- Try to get an idea of where your goals are and make small steps in that direction.