Bunbury’s tiny homes big help for community’s disadvantaged, vulnerable

It’s easy to look at initiatives like the Tiny Houses project and feel uncomfortable at the idea of housing rough sleepers close to your own home. After all, you’ve built a life within the community for your family and it’s a “safe” place and should remain that way. What if the initiative brings anti-social behaviour? What if things change? Many of us walk the streets focused on our own personal dramas, pretending to be oblivious when we pass someone sleeping rough because God forbid we make eye contact and hold a conversation. It’s confronting because it pops the bubble so many of us live in and forces us to think about the situations outside of the walls we’ve built around our own worlds. I know I’m not immune to this. I too have had to make myself question my biases and recognise not everyone is granted the same opportunities. We all have our own hurdles to leap over, but most of us will carry on through the rest of our lives comfortably with all of our basic needs met. We won’t have to worry about where we will sleep at night, whether someone will steal our belongings, how we will stay warm through winter or whether we have enough food to eat dinner. It’s easy to sit inside our warm, comfortable homes and point fingers at those in less fortunate circumstances, but we have no right to pass judgment on them. We do not know what circumstances they endured that left them out on the streets. We do not know what they’ve already had to overcome. Why should they not be allowed to take a chance at a better life? It’s easy to use the “not in my backyard” argument when it comes to choosing a location for projects like Tiny Houses, but there’s always going to be someone that does not want it there. Next time you find yourself thinking about the possible anti-social behaviour that may arise from housing homeless people there, try to instead think about how the homes will give people a fresh start and help them transition to long-term, stable housing. Everyone deserves the chance to find a home.