Some people suffer unlucky streaks and end up sleeping in their cars.So how many spend their nights drooling with head tilted on the backseat door handle?
Nobody knows, but they exist.
We do not usually think of homeless people as being car owners but in fact, cars can still be cheap, while rent is plenty expensive.
And heck, shit happens.
So if your roommate or lover kicks you out and you've got a car, what do you do?
Would you drive to the homeless shelter? Nope. The parking is too tricky.
So you just toss a bunch of clothing on and park out in some remote spot and sleep in the back seat until you figure it all out.
For most of the year Montreal - unlike many other places in North America - is, unfortunately, too cold to allow you to sleep in a car without freezing.
You'd have to leave your car running all night with the heater on just to stay warm.
That's expensive, nasty for the environment and you'd possibly run out of gas or even get ticketed.
So yes, it's time for Montreal to create a parking shelter for homeless motorists.
Such a structure could be done cheaply, in the form of a temporary dome like those used for soccer fields.
Such domes can be purchased for less than half a million dollars and can house dozens of vehicles.
The facility would not require heating, it could be allowed to get chilly. It would still be warmer than the great outdoors in winter.
Authorities would provide motorists small electric heaters to keep their vehicles toasty and sleepable.
One solution for homelessness:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-36092852
A fascinating article can be found in the Montreal Star for May 22, 1926, page 19 about the Hanging Castle, a ramshackle dwelling favoured by Montreal's squatters and homeless in that era of the Roaring Twenties.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it's exact location is not revealed, its description and precarious existence