Winter, housing, and the community moral compass

It's been a relatively mild winter so far, and I, for one, have not been unhappy with that. Today, it's 5 below zero, with predictions for a much deeper cold over the next two days. I spent some time rummaging my closet and drawers looking for heavy sweaters (and they were all in the wash, go figure). So, I will be the layer queen today: long sleeve shirt, heavy flannel, down vest. I am so grateful that no one has ever required "professional dress" at my school-- my classroom tends to be very cold. My students sometimes bring small fleece blankets to leave on the shelves. I suspect they will make an appearance today.

I can't help but think about people who are living off the grid, and even more about those who are unhoused. I am glad I live in a community that has warming stations and so on, but this is just a small band-aid on the really large gash in our nation. The housing situation is a fraught one; so many property owners have chosen to turn their rentals into short-term rentals (Air BnB, etc.) in order to cash in on the tourism. That leaves a lot of folks without a stable home, and it's just plain immoral. That said, though, I read the other day that one of our local motel owners has received permission to turn the entire property into small efficiency apartments. Amen for that. It's a start. 

I see empty buildings and houses, and I think, how many people could use that building for housing? I feel almost guilty that we have a spare room upstairs. Maybe it's time to act more loudly at town meetings and selectman's meetings, to encourage those people who have the long-closed little cabins that used to be full of summer tourists to clean them up and rent them to those who really need a roof over their head. Our area is full of those little used-to-be motels. It's not unusual to drive on some of the back roads and see five or six tiny cabins with a big house; the highways cut these folks off from the tourists, but the buildings are still there. Yes, they need to be fixed up quite a bit, but that would be a great community project. I suspect a tax break for the owners would be a good incentive as well.

It's time for communities to stop stepping over those who need help, and to start working on raising everyone up. It's damned cold, and I don't mean just the temperature.

Have a good day and stay warm,

C