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| Quixote Village in Olympia, WA. Churches working together to house the homeless* |
How much space does a person
Need to live comfortably and
Simply? The “small house”
Movement is alive in the hills
And forests, the cities and the
Backyards. To some it is the
Solution to the problem of the
Homeless. Olympia, Washington,
Where my elder son lives with
His wife and three daughters, is
One of those cities which has
Adopted that course. Quixote
Village offers 32 small houses
For homeless, disabled, and
Mentally ill. Each unit is 144
Square feet—enough for a bed
Chair, desk, closet, and “powder
Room.” Residents are provided
Kitchen facilities, laundry and
Bathing in a common building
Also used for offices and meetings.
The road to hell being paved
With good intentions I have not
Visited the place during any
Of my last three trips to my
Family. This effort was put
Together by a group of churches
In Olympia and adjacent cities
To bring some stability for the
Homeless who were at the mercy
Of laws designed to “nuisance”
Them away. In 2007 they had
Set up their Camp Quixote of
Improvised shacks in a parking lot
When the city fathers ruled
They were not to sleep in store
Entrances or the like. Then the
City allowed them to establish
Camps which had to be
Dismantled and moved every
Three months. The churches
Who had allowed them space
Also coordinated their shifts
Quarterly. Eventually funding
Came together for a suitable
Development around the
Retention pond of an industrial
Tract at the border of Olympia
And Tumwater. The group
Chose individual small houses
Over rooms or apartments in
One building in compliance
With the wishes of the residents.
They are responsible to pay
A third of their monthly
Income as rent, they are required
To contribute work in the
Community gardens, and
Upkeep. They take part in
Governance and can be evicted
If they refuse to abide the
Rules. The churches participate
As volunteer hosts, organizers,
And recruiters. For the many
Back to nature sorts for whom
Small house means off-the-grid
Living in a forest on a mountain,
With a great view, low taxes,
Few building codes, silence of
The wilderness broken only
By waves rolling on a nearby
Pacific beach, Quixote Village
Is a busy neighborhood wherein
Thoreau himself would not
Find sufficient independence.
But it has a pond.
c. J.S.Manista, 2016
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