Psychology

The homeless in society find themselves in that situation not because of a lack of effort but rather a lack of opportunity. Humble Abode is a concept that seeks to harness the inherent human capacities to create a system where opportunities are perpetually being born.

The concept revolves around bringing together the homeless within a set district to an identified land to be donated by corporate or government sponsorship to form new self-sustaining neighborhoods. Provided land, the homeless would provide manpower for erecting flats while material would be partly donated. Part will be raised by having some of the homeless work menial jobs for business or the city in return for a small fee. This is bound to attract more support as it shows a considerable effort by the homeless to improve their own situation.

With new homes in place, the previously-homeless can look for work in construction using the skills they acquired while building their own homes and thereby start earning. Those who do not land jobs can fill the demand gap by catering to the needs of the newly-formed neighborhood, opening shops and offering services. Sponsors for this program can be attracted by guaranteeing them exclusive access to the market created within the Humble Abode.

Such a concept will be effective in not only clearing up precincts of homeless people but ensuring the long-term sustainability of their security by giving them jobs and small business opportunities. Should the program prove successful, any person who becomes homeless will simply be assimilated into a Humble Abode in existence or under development, thereby preventing the new homeless cases. Funding would be assured, as politicians will benefit from the improvement and business will get exclusive markets thus will be keen on the opportunity.

This concept is borrowed from the worker cooperatives concept existent in most western countries. In it, the workers own a profit-driven enterprise in such a manner that they provide the labor and all the profits come back to them through re-investment in the business and sharing of the profits realized (Estrin  Jones, 1987). An example of this is The Indian Coffee House, the largest worker cooperative in the world. It is a restaurant chain of about 400 spread across India, and has aided millions out of poverty since its workers took it over in 1957.