Mary Anne funk

In search of sanctuary and home

Human Settlement / Finding Home

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Human Settlement – Finding Home works to provide understanding that in order to survive and rebuild our lives, we need shelter as a basic human need. Sometimes that shelter is built by the individual with a tent or a tarp along sidewalks, under trees or along hillsides. Sometimes that shelter is built by a community of people coming together to form an intentional community of support. Sometimes that shelter is in a vehicle parked in parking lots or along the street. Sometimes that shelter is under a bridge or in a doorway.

Beyond the structure: it is about forming shelter and having a place to call home. Shadow and his wife are homeless. She is not feeling well and is sleeping when we walk up. Shadow was cleaning up their area. He keeps a broom with them at all times to keep where they stay clean and they keep their belongings neatly statcked. They stay ready to move on a moments notice because they never know when the police will tell them the need to move.

“A human settlement, or community, is not merely a collection of houses. It is a human (social and cultural) organization” By Phil Bartle, PhD http://cec.vcn.bc.ca/cmp/whatcom.htm

In search of sanctuary and home | Redefining perceptions of homelessness and poverty

You don’t need to be housed in a traditional structure to be human.