“Homelessness in this city has been an ongoing issue for years. People are not given access to affordable or sustainable housing. Without this resource, people are left sleeping on the street.”

Elements of Sustainable Housing

Eco-Friendly

Wasting resources always leads to an unsustainable environment, and, within homeless populations, that means an elevated risk of unstable housing. Bills cost money, so even in the short-term, passively engaging with your resources is dangerous. Producing your own electricity with a solar battery, using compost to grow a garden for food, and limiting the amount of time you use water are good ways to make housing more sustainable.

Financial

In order to have housing that can be sustainable in that it lasts into the future, it must be financially accessible and it must stay that way. This means having shelters that are prepared for long-term use, inpatient rehabs that can be paid through state / federal programs, and housing communities that are more focused on cooperation than commodity.

Social

To be socially sustainable means to be a part of a community that uplifts rather than puts down. Socially sustainable housing suggest that a group of housing units see themselves as part of a community and are therefore there to help each other when facing struggles. It is an informal safety net that exists beneath the governmental safety net, but it is just as important for catching people.

 

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– Sources –

• Urban Ocean Lab. 2022. Social Cohesion as a Climate Strategy: Reflections on Superstorm Sandy
• Stephanie Malin and Meghan Kallman. 2022. Chap 4 – Human Beings Not Humans Buying. Chap 4 – Human Beings Not Humans Buying. – Alternative Formats Building Something Better: Environmental Crises and the Promise of Community Change. Rutgers University Press