Tuesday, June 9, 2015

SHOULD BUS BENCHES BE DESIGNED TO BE HOMELESS SHELTERS FOR THE NIGHT?

POVERTY INSIGHTS ORG ASKS IF BUS BENCHES SHOULD BE HOMELESS SHELTERS  by Joel John Roberts  (Poverty Insights is one of our sidebar links under Activists)

EXCERPT:

... Some cities, however, view people sleeping on their bus benches as a nuisance. They believe that these benches should be used by people waiting to ride the bus, not for people looking for a place to sleep. As a result, these jurisdictions design benches with metal dividers or with a curved-shape, so that the bench cannot be used as a bed. This removes the need for a sign that states: “No sleeping, only sitting.”

Vancouver, however, has decided to pursue an alternative solution to the dilemma of people sleeping on their bus benches. If homeless people are going to sleep on these bus shelters, then why not make them actual homeless shelters?

A local advocacy group, along with an advertising agency, decided to create a bus bench, which operates as a typical bus bench during the day. But then at night, part of the bench lifts up to become a roof, or a shelter, for people who need a place to sleep. It becomes a pop-up homeless shelter for one...

BENCH SHELTER FROM POVERTY INSIGHTS
picture is owned by Poverty Insights

No comments: