Page 6 - Sonoma County Gazette 11-17

HOUSING cont’d from page 1
The day after we go to press, our Board of Supervisors will be proposing some expansive changes in the way things get done around here. Right now we have a very pro-active board. One of our board members, Susan Gorin, was a victim of this fire like so many others. She is now homeless. Sure, she is among those who have insurance, and eventually her home is likely to be rebuilt. I doubt very much that she is sleeping in an evacuation shelter, but no person can go through this kind of experience without being altered in some way.
One of the things I have admired about some of Susan’s actions has been
her stance on limiting the number of VRBOs (vacation rental by owner). Out
in Bodega Bay, this one factor has been blamed for why there is no housing for people who work on the coast. Some people come from as far as Lake County to work in the hospitality industry. Our Tourism Bureau has talked about how to address this problem because we can’t serve tourists well if people are tired, broke, and not happy.
If you are familiar with the magazine National Geographic, you will see that the current editon features a cover story on happiness. They traveled the world and did a survey of what makes people happy, and where they are most happy. Funny thing, food, clothing, shelter...yep, they are all a HUGE part of being happy. So is personal freedom. It’s an interesrting article and worthy of your time. As we face change at home, we might consiider including HAPPINESS in our equation of how we fix what’s wrong.
Instant Housing Solutions
As I was keeping our website updatedwith Fire Informaiton people could use, I got a call from a man up in Alaska who manufactures homes for refugees and the homeless. They are also used for cabins in the woods, but the greatest use is housng people quickly, easily, and inexpensively.
One 20 ft. fully-insulated structure costs $15,000. This picture is several connected into a large house. When you’re up against an emergency, what may seem odd at other times, makes sense.
This call segued beautifully into a meeting I watched on Facebook with our current and past supervisors and leaders in our commuity talking about solutions we can install right now. My first thought was oi park an RV on the property of the burnt house. People could go HOME again, be with their neighbors, put their kids in the same school, find the community connection that is part of what makes a house a home...people. Former supervior Efren Carillo started talking about someone he knew who did just that. The family lived in the RV until their house was rebuilt.
Right now there is shortage of FEMA trailers and RVs. A FEMA official said that there are orders for 9 million FEMA trailers right now because of all the natural disasters in the United States. That mkes this InterShelter product look like an easy solution. I like easy solutions.
6 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 11/17
they have decided. REALITY cont’d on page 7
The man from Intershelter, Don, took me on a tour of his website to show me how these shelters are housing political refugees as well as homeless people. While we were on the phone, a man from Bangladesh called to talk about
his order. That country is establishing villages for refugees from Myanmar.
As someone recently said, “We think we have it bad, who would want to be
a Syrian refugee about now?” What happens if your home is being detroyed and your life is at risk, and you simply have to leave in order to stay alive. Our problems look simple by comparison.
Don’s call was followed up by Elizabeth Brennan of Tepul Tents who has platforms and tents she would be willing to donate to Sonoma County - or lend for periods of time. Her tents are used to shelter peole in emergencies as well. These take Tent Cities to another level Both people wanted us to know that they have viable, affordable solutions.
So let’s see what the Supervisors come up with. This is the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting. By the time this paper hits the streest, we will know what