Journal for 2003 November 15

Claudia has asked me to find another place to live. Her parents are mad at her for letting me live here so long, and they're making Claudia unhappy. I couldn't understand. If it's a matter of where I keep my stuff, it makes the most sense for me to move everything to Olin. If it's about where I sleep, then I can do that and start sleeping at ESG. If it's not about where I sleep and spend my time, then it doesn't make any sense for me to be paying $700 a month for space I just won't use. That space has not place in my life. If it's not just about keeping up appearence and Claudia wants me to spend more time elsewhere, then the place it makes the most sense for me to get an apartment is Needham. To get on around MIT or in Central Square will be twice as expensive, and it would mean having to get up an hour earlier every day that I sleep over in Claudia's room. Claudia wouldn't be happy moving into an apartment so the space isn't justified in any way.

Then I thought of the other options. I can purchase a right-to-ghost at an ILG. Fenway has a tight budget and is very laid back-- I could probably just pay for a bed and not much else. The appearances would be preserved, and I could support and ILG.

But I was still feeling sorry for myself. Why should I have to spend even a few hundred a month to keep Claudia's parents happy? They're real objection is to me sleeping in Claudia's room, I think, so being able to claim somewhere else without changing how I live is silly. To do so would be to move backwards, when there's so little time already.

Then I asked myself: Do I have any right to feel this way? I have a wonderful life, and gotten to enjoy so much of it. What can I do to help someone else?

My solution: start a shelter. Something like a commune. A place to make progress toward my goal, aside from appealing to the snooty self-improvers. Offer a homeless person a place to live for 2 hours of work a day. That work might take the form of community service, craft work, menial chores, working for pay for another organization, skill development, and the later use of those skills. In exchange, the homeless person gets a bed in and the general use of an collectively owned apartment along with others. The homeless person promises to never bring drugs or alcohol into the apartment. Additionally, for 2 more hours of work a day, all food needs will be taken care of-- but that food will only be available at certain times of the day.

How much would it cost? I probably can't get a space around Central Square for less than $1000 / month. I can pay that... but I can't do food, much less get beds and improvements. Unless 2 hr / day can pay for it itself. Assume that initially those 2 hours will be returned at less than minimum wage (for time spent in training). Minimum wage is MA is $6.75. Assume $5.00. One person is $10.00 per day or $300 per month. That's not bad: After a month I can get another bed and improve the program. And I can probably manage food with $10 / day.

What kinds of chores will they have, as part of their 2 hr / day? Cooking. Building furniture. Making warm clothing. Tending a garden.

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If you have any questions or comments that you want to email, feel free to contact me, jrising@ mit.edu.