If you don’t feel any need to reblog this unfollow me.
Seriously what the fuck you spent money on those donate to a homeless shelter instead you fucking demons
This is more common than you may think. Many urban areas that have high homeless populations are using “defensive architecture” more and more. Sloped and divided benches to keep the homeless from sleeping on them. Spikes placed in sheltered areas where they tend to stay. City planners argue they are only trying to relocate the homeless, pushing them to see out shelters and homeless centers. But that rings hollow. They just want them out of sight. I don’t have a simple, easy solution. But this isn’t it. Making things harder for the homeless does not help them.
All these corporations have so much money to spend it on putting spikes on places where homeless people sleep yet absolutely NOTHING goes to those who are homeless. This country really doesn’t give a fuck about the well being of homeless people at all
this is heartbreaking fr .
Hostile architecture makes me so viscerally angry and sick on sight. Humanity can create vile things but at least many of them don’t try to hide the ugly, violent, destructive spirit behind.
This is so horrifically casual. It’s not created out of war or desperate need for safety or power. It’s pure, cool-headed, blithe contempt for fellow human beings for no other reason than feeling they’re too gross to even deserve a cold, hard surface to sleep on outside. It takes a special level of disregard to endorse that destitute people shouldn’t even have the freedom to lay on the fucking ground at your goddamn feet because it makes you too uncomfortable.
The argument that it will have them seek out homeless shelters is difficult to swallow – I’ve talked with homeless people about shelters. There are waiting lists. Waiting lists. And you have to show up by a certain time to get on the list and then show back up at another time in the evening or your slot will be forfeit because the shelters do not have enough beds.
Putting up spikes, sloped benches, and other such means is just about keeping the homeless out of sight and somewhere else.
Exactly! Also shelters often have many rules to keep out drugs, alcohol and certain behaviours, but considering how many homeless people are self-medicating or in the throws of severe addiction, it actively keeps many of them out. It outcasts them for not being the ‘good kind’ of poor people.
Plus many mental conditions make it difficult to enter a new environment with rules and structure (and other people). It seems so easy to just go get help somewhere but seeking and maintaining help for one’s self takes a shitload of sustained direction, clear thinking and executive function. Many people in the streets are there precisely because they have reached an extremely low level of functionality. Every tiny life activity is monumental at that point. It’s like people just can’t comprehend how falling off functionality and society is truly like. You can’t tooth and claw yourself out when you have no claws or teeth left. There is no easy anything.
Also, look into homeless shelters where you live - you’ll be surprised how often it actually costs money to stay there. Not insignificant amounts, either; many in my area cost about $18-21 a night, which puts it in the same price bracket as many youth hostels.
Shelters are also often violent and unwelcoming; even those that are able to monitor for violence and thievery within the shelter itself can or do not prevent intimidation from occurring within the lines or on the street. Many shelters either outright refuse to take in LGBT people (especially trans women) or encourage hostile and violent attitudes towards LGBT people to force them out - whether that encouragement is active or passive. There’s little done regarding racist violence and attitudes, and shelters are much more likely to view people of colour as unruly, drunk, disorderly or aggressive as they’re predominately run by white people. Sexual violence often runs rampant. Shelters also often have minimum age requirements, barring youth - sometimes even barring children who are with a parent - to protect themselves from legal culpability.
Shelters are HORRIFICALLY inaccessible for most of the people that need them most. Which is why, and I can’t stress this enough, giving money to people directly will ALWAYS do more good than giving to shelters. Life on the street, or in squats, or just bouncing between hostels if you can afford it, is so much safer than trying to tackle shelters. This kind of hostile architecture pushing people into shelters isn’t a blessing; even if people can afford to and succeed in getting into a shelter, it’s often pushing them directly into violence.
