"We can only get to a certain type of person," said Jubnya. "You can't just take somebody from downtown and bring them out to the woods," Jubyna told APN, referring to certain homeless people's ability to survive in the wilderness.
The Mad Housers do not run the camps where they build huts. But Hess told APN the organization would not hesitate to take action if they feel trouble is brewing.
"We will shelter people who have addiction issues even though there's the possibility of trouble," said Hess. "It's the likelihood of trouble that we're worried about."
"We don't want camps to become crack dens. When somebody becomes a hazard, we will and we have come in with crowbars and taken [a hut] down," said Hess.
"If we get the impression from you that you're engaged in activities that's going to bring negative attention to you," then The Mad Housers will not build a hut for that person.
While volunteers do return to visit camps to weatherproof huts based on the season and make needed repairs, the Mad Housers generally take a hands off approach to the camps, choosing to let the residents manage their own affairs.
Receiving permission to build a hut on a site can be a complex issue. The Mad Housers do not generally ask permission to build on a site. Instead of creating camps, the Mad Housers find existing camps and build huts in hopes of improving the camps. If a camp has been at a site for a long time, then either: the owner is aware of the presence and is OK with it, the owner does not know the camp exists, or the ownership of the land is in dispute and homeless people are living there until the dispute is settled, which could take years, according to The Mad Housers website.
The Mad Housers leaves it up to the homeless individuals seeking assistance to make arrangements for permission with owners of the abandoned properties where the huts are to be built, where applicable, Atlanta Progressive News has learned.
Whenever an owner asks for a hut to be taken down, the Mad Housers always comply. The police do not cause trouble for the camps as long as the residents do not cause trouble.
Volunteers, who become volunteers by simply showing up to the warehouse on building day, load a truck with all the necessary materials and depart in as few vehicles as possible. We arrived at the site at around 11 a.m. and finished construction around 2:15 p.m.
The entire process, from fashioning raw materials into appropriate components to completing a hut takes approximately 50 man-hours at a cost of around $450. Once completed, the ownership of a hut goes to the client and that person makes improvements as he or she sees fit.
If a client is able to move out of a hut, then another person can come in and live there. Some huts have lasted well over five years, when they were meant to last only two. "It's not an end solution," said Jubyna. "It's supposed to be part of a process of helping."
The organization is developing two other types of huts to meet the needs of clients, according to madhousers.org. One design calls for more space to accommodate a client who is married or in a long-term relationship. These huts are built with a higher roof pitch and a loft with more headroom.
The other design is a low rider, a four foot cubed structure that is for sitting and sleeping only and less visible. Because of the compact dimensions, these do not have stoves because of the fire hazard. A small front porch provides sitting space, making the low rider feel less like a bunker.
A Mad Housers hut has been on display at the Athica Gallery in Athens, Georgia, since late January of this year. The hut contains many photos of other Mad Housers huts and literature about the organization. Sunday March 5th, 2006, will be the last day to see this hut before the exhibit closes. The Mad Housers intend to find a client in Athens who can live in the displayed hut.
Resource:
Find Out More About The Mad Housers
www.madhousers.org
The Mad Housers do not run the camps where they build huts. But Hess told APN the organization would not hesitate to take action if they feel trouble is brewing.
"We will shelter people who have addiction issues even though there's the possibility of trouble," said Hess. "It's the likelihood of trouble that we're worried about."
"We don't want camps to become crack dens. When somebody becomes a hazard, we will and we have come in with crowbars and taken [a hut] down," said Hess.
While volunteers do return to visit camps to weatherproof huts based on the season and make needed repairs, the Mad Housers generally take a hands off approach to the camps, choosing to let the residents manage their own affairs.
Receiving permission to build a hut on a site can be a complex issue. The Mad Housers do not generally ask permission to build on a site. Instead of creating camps, the Mad Housers find existing camps and build huts in hopes of improving the camps. If a camp has been at a site for a long time, then either: the owner is aware of the presence and is OK with it, the owner does not know the camp exists, or the ownership of the land is in dispute and homeless people are living there until the dispute is settled, which could take years, according to The Mad Housers website.
The Mad Housers leaves it up to the homeless individuals seeking assistance to make arrangements for permission with owners of the abandoned properties where the huts are to be built, where applicable, Atlanta Progressive News has learned.
Whenever an owner asks for a hut to be taken down, the Mad Housers always comply. The police do not cause trouble for the camps as long as the residents do not cause trouble.
Volunteers, who become volunteers by simply showing up to the warehouse on building day, load a truck with all the necessary materials and depart in as few vehicles as possible. We arrived at the site at around 11 a.m. and finished construction around 2:15 p.m.
The entire process, from fashioning raw materials into appropriate components to completing a hut takes approximately 50 man-hours at a cost of around $450. Once completed, the ownership of a hut goes to the client and that person makes improvements as he or she sees fit.
If a client is able to move out of a hut, then another person can come in and live there. Some huts have lasted well over five years, when they were meant to last only two. "It's not an end solution," said Jubyna. "It's supposed to be part of a process of helping."
The organization is developing two other types of huts to meet the needs of clients, according to madhousers.org. One design calls for more space to accommodate a client who is married or in a long-term relationship. These huts are built with a higher roof pitch and a loft with more headroom.
The other design is a low rider, a four foot cubed structure that is for sitting and sleeping only and less visible. Because of the compact dimensions, these do not have stoves because of the fire hazard. A small front porch provides sitting space, making the low rider feel less like a bunker.
A Mad Housers hut has been on display at the Athica Gallery in Athens, Georgia, since late January of this year. The hut contains many photos of other Mad Housers huts and literature about the organization. Sunday March 5th, 2006, will be the last day to see this hut before the exhibit closes. The Mad Housers intend to find a client in Athens who can live in the displayed hut.
Resource:
Find Out More About The Mad Housers
www.madhousers.org
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
