MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS

Mental health crisis start began in 1963 when the Kennedy administration implemented the Community Mental Health Act. This gave official credence to a movement that had been slowly developing and that kept developing afterward.

However, in most cases, these car dwellers are “strangers in their hometown” who had lost their homes and postal codes as a result of the economic downturn that has led to the closure of companies and factories. They are the victims of the outsourcing of industries dictated by cross-border capital flows.They are the “problematic people” who had lost their livelihoods due to the decline of industrial sectors (Scheese, Don2016, 124-26.) In Nomadland, the former industrial “empire” and the way of life that it supported were torn to pieces by capitalism-led globalization. Yet, it is not that easy for the homeless to hold onto their independent space. In addition to not being able to find a job, they are most worried about problems that may happen to their second-hand CV after driving for some time, because it means that it will cost a lot of money to repair the CV. If the problem is serious, the car may be scrapped and can not be driven any longer. In this case, they have nowhere to go, so they have to go to relatives' homes to stay for a period of time. It can be embarrassing because their relatives may not be in a good position to provide them with a proper place to live. Moreover, they have been losers in the traditional sense, and others can't empathize with them. Nevertheless, they are only willing to admit that they are only "houseless" rather than "homeless", because the RV is their home. In the movie, many homeless people express their desire for social life and social entertainment.

For instance, Clear Architects, and JFD have designed the hut for the homeless on the streets of London, which can be used alone or as a community to provide safety and shelter for the homeless. (Furzer J 2018, 1) The architect regards it as a warm, safe and secret residence, and a tentative plan to the globalization of rough sleeping, which can be hung on the existing houses on the street.

Each concept is designed to be readily adaptable and self-sufficient, implying that no additional power is required. The interior of the building is simple material design and decoration, which caters to the minimum needs of sleeping at night for the homeless.Nevertheless, it can not address the real demands of RV owners which are housing and community support. In the movie Nomadland and related interviews, they revealed their needs and aspirations for "home" and society. It is possible that the key to solve the problem of homeless people lies in housing, supporting and building affordable communities. In spite of all the difficulties they face, these homeless people, who live in their cars as houses and homes, have indeed created a kind of peculiar social space. When “car as home” emerged as a real and movable living space, what we know as “home”, which is tied up with the real estate industry, has thus been destroyed. Such subversion forces us to reflect upon the disciplinary nature of the conventiona “home". The better choice could be pass the normal real estate system and give the control over "home" to individual rather than real estate developers and governments.

Meanwhile, we should build small housing units to enable homeless people to gradually feel and become a part of the community, and receive basic medical care, education and financial support, so that they can eventually adapt to this kind of life.

As KTGY is acting now, they have installed a series of modular housing projects in Los Angeles, attempting to provide housing solutions for long-term homeless people.(KTGY 2021)

Hope on Hyde Park by KTGY Architecture + Planning

DDDThese modules have basic design and fast installation time. They can be manufactured in advance, then transported to the site by truck, and further stacked in individual buildings.

Hope On Team owns advanced technologies using steel modules, which may fundamentally transform modular housing. During field work and foundation construction, these

SMALL-SCALE HOUSING UNITS COMMUNITY & MOUDULAR BUILDING

modules are manufactured elsewhere, thereby facilitating rapid construction, lowering project cost and rendering the hope to cope with housing problems. Similar to KTGY, Brooks + Scarpa firms in California is also studying modular building. (Brooksscarpa 2019)

Referred to as Nest, this system consists of modular units and can be assembled like a set of parts. "Similar as birds' nesting habits, this toolkit is based on people's distinctive lifestyles while striving to provide the affordable shelter for everyone," said Angie Brooks, the manager of Brooks+Scarpa.

The main goal of this concept is to make homeless people have dignity and shared social space, which I believe is the most significant thing for them. Other methods are also being explored. Maybe we should train homeless people to make a group of people employ modern building methods to build their own houses with the help of designers, charities and authorities.

In this way, they can finally seek jobs. Or we can provide the homeless people with an address in case they may require the support they need to pull themselves together again. It is of great significance that we face up to the existing social problems and aware that homeless people need us to build a suitable community for them in addition a shelter no matter which solution portfolio we choose. Furthermore, we should put it on trial, improve the building scheme, build modular units, and then accelerate the problem-solving process.

Bibliography

Nomadland. Directed by Chloé Zhao. Performed by Frances McDormand. United States: Frances McDormand Peter Spears, 2021. Film.

Foster, John Bellamy, and Fred Magdoff. The Great Financial Crisis: Causes and Consequences. New York, NY: Monthly Review Press, 2009.

Cooke, Jerry. ‘Bedlam 1946’ Spread. May 9, 1946. Life Magazine, Worcester State Hospital.

Scheese, Don. “The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey by Rinker Buck.” Western American Literature 51, no. 1 (2016): 124-26. doi:10.1353/wal.2016.0023

Furzer, J. (2018). The Homeless Cabin by JFD Clear Architects [Abstract]. The Homeless Cabin by JFD Clear Architects. Retrieved December 4, 2021, from https://www.archiscene.net/design/homeless-cabin-jfd-clear-architects/

KTGY(2021). Hope On – New series of modular housing solutions for homeless moves forward. Hope On – New Series of Modular Housing Solutions for Homeless Moves Forward. Retrieved December 4, 2021, from https://ktgy.com/hope-on-new-series-of-modular-housing-solutions-for-homeless-movesforward/.

SWYNGEDOUW, ERIK. “THE VIOLENCE OF SUSTAINABLEURBANITY.” THE VIOLENCE OF SUSTAINABLE URBANITY, November 7, 2013, 24-28. Accessed December 4, 2021.

Brooksscarpa. “NEST TOOLKIT.” NEST TOOLKIT, October 30, 2019. Accessed December 4, 2021. https://brooksscarpa.com/the-nest-toolkit.

Bates, Daniel G. “The Role of the State in Peasant-Nomad Mutualism.” Anthropological Quarterly 44, no. 3 (1971): 109. doi:10.2307/3316933.

“Down & Out, on the Road: The Homeless in American History.” Choice Reviews Online 40, no. 02 (2002). doi:10.5860/choice.40-1122.

Deverteuil, Geoffrey. “The Local State and Homeless Shelters: Beyond Revanchism?” Cities 23, no. 2 (2006): 109-20. doi:10.1016/j.cities.2005.08.004.