This is not a timed writing

This is not a timed writing just a long post. And what better place to put that long post than in my timed writing section which....I still use just not till the new year...yeah that was the plan all along.... Anyway I have like an idea/project that I have had floating around my head for some time. Or at least various pieces and it sort of congealed today walking in. Maybe becuse its Christmas and its the most giving day of the year.

The idea is kind of big and far reaching...eventually. All things start small. I like cooking, I like cooking good cheap and healthy. I like helping people. I like music. I like documentaries. I like parks. I also like improving ones self and helping others to do the same. Here is my vision.

I will start off by merely feeding the homeless some of my cheap concoctions. Make a big batch once a month and go around handing them out with fliers maybe. And eventually like setup a once a month cook out for them in like a park. They sleep there anyway so its close to home. At the cook out I'll ask them for suggested songs for me to learn that they can sing along with. And while they eat I'll play guitar for them, some classics that remind them of better times. To sort of improve moral.

Phase two was inspired by some guy I read about on the internet that was homeless who went around picking up trash and had a sign explaining what he was doing to get some donations. Well what if we tried to go bigger on this. Instead of just one man relying on the kindness of random strangers. What if we used a similar idea to try and reassimilate these broken people back into society.

The first hurdle would be to get the city to set aside some funds to pay the homeless on some form of commission basis; per bag or per lbs of garbage collected. This would give them not only a source of income other than panhandling but also clean up the city and give these guys a little dignity back because they are doing some honest work. Alot of homeless people can't get work because they lack things like, a phone, new clothes or good hygiene. This is their stepping stone to a better life.

Their is a secondary reason for using a commision system instead of an hourly type pay. The commision system will quickly identify who has the most drive to improve thier situation. This will enable those running the organization to move forward with some of the other branches of the plan.

What I would like to see happen is a place the homeless that qualify, through the above mentioned systems. To move into a sort of halfway house. The house would be like a cheap warehouse space that is rented and converted to fit a decent number of people. It would have a place for them to sleep and keep some belongings such as clothes. It would have a community washer and dryer, kitchen telephone and internet access.

I would also like to bring in some various professionals to help them in the area of mental and physical health, cooking, nutrition, planning, finances. Things like that. The idea of this house setting is also to give them a social circle and help them slowly meld back into society. They could use it as a home base to acchieve certain milestones. I imagine them getting a job and a car and saving up $1000 dollars then finding a place of thier own. I can already imagine the tears streaming down thier faces. Faces that are no longer dirty and smelly because they can take regular showers.

Ultimately I think it would be really cool to take this house Idea and limit the number of open slots to say 12. And make it an internet reality show. All of the money made through advertising and donations would go back into the non profit organization. And perhaps could be used to help pay for things like the professionals providing the aid to these people.

I would actually refrain from monetary compensation to the house people because we want them to develop a work ethic and they are getting a lot out of the situation as far as education and other aid.

The TV show wouldn't be an exploitative type thing at all. I think it would be inspiring and motivating to the watchers as see all of these rags to riches stories being told. And those experiences are chock full of emotion which is key to a good show.

I'll have to come up with paramaters but I think the members of the house should have certain goals and expectations they ahve to meet to continue their stay. So instead of a voting out like alot of reality tv shows. This show will be more a documentary. It won't have a beginning or an end. It will just be a glimpse into the lives of these people. Who are people. They will get to tell thier stories. They get to succeed and feel pride. Some will probably fail and have to move out.

Also limiting the number of slots on the show will give the people working at street level picking up trash, sorting it or involved in the other projects like cleaning and what not, an incentive or goal to strive towards. Which is getting to the house where you get the most help.

This is just a rough document to trap these ideas somewhere. Maybe I'll move forward on this one day. I really hope I do because the more I wrote about it the more it makes me happy. I love helping people and to be able to help on a large scale like this would be so cool. Start with one city and go around the country to big cities setting up similar programs.

Cheers,
Tyler