Homes Not Jails formed in 1992 to advocate for the use of vacant and abandoned housing for people who are homeless. In the face of people dying on sidewalks in front of vacant buildings, affordable housing advocates and poor people came together to find ways to utilize the vacant buildings.
Homelessness and the exorbitant cost of housing is a crisis that many in this city, country, and the world appear to accept. There is even a myth that living on the streets is like a vacation. Unfortunately, the reality is much different. Living on the streets allows no privacy and down time. People carry their few possessions with them, knowing that with one mistake they could lose everything they own. Police look at homeless people like game in a hunting preserve. In spite of this, many in the community willingly and methodically sacrifice our artists, mothers, brothers, musicians and children by turning heads away from their plight- ignoring that their plight is our plight. Homes Not Jails promotes the idea that to escape from the discouraging spiral of poverty, people need a respite to get back on their feet. A door one can close to the world if only for a few days.
More than fifteen years later the need for Homes Not Jails drives us forward. Circumstances have gotten worse and not better. Property rights still reign over human rights and people still die on sidewalks in front of vacant buildings. Owners of these vacant buildings happily keep these places off the market for personal profit even though their actions reduce the housing stock and drive up rents for everyone. Government and big real estate interests clearly demonstrate they are more than happy to continue profiting off the hardships of everyday people – making it incumbent on us to do something about it. Homes Not Jails takes the following two approaches to fight back.
Public Action & Education: Taking direct action and engaging in civil disobedience, Homes Not Jails publicly occupies vacant buildings to demonstrate the availability of vacant housing, to promote proposals to utilize the housing, and to put people in the housing. Furthermore, we provide information on squatting and network with other squatting groups. We even once attempted to adversely possess a long-term squat that was completely ignored by the owner (we paid the property taxes!), but the courts denied the claim – demonstrating the bias “our” judicial system has towards property rights over human rights. But were not giving up…
Squatting:Homes Not Jails opens up vacant buildings and helps homeless people move into them – because people need housing NOW! Over the years hundreds of vacant buildings have been opened, providing housing for people and reducing the overall demand for housing – making housing more affordable for all of us. Many have lasted for years, many are still happening, and more will be opened as long as people are forced to live on the streets.
