The Necessity of Shelter and Water

 

   Rain is pouring, wind is gusting, temperatures are low; luckily for many of us the view of this weather is from the comforts of some form of a home. Some experience such climates directly, unable to escape the cold reality of being without the tranquility of a shelter or home. The idea of a ‘home’ is an all important step in one’s ability to be content in the present and to conceive aspirations for the future. We believe everyone deserves the right to a place they call home. 

 

   Upon research for possible design solutions to alleviate the pains and discomforts of those who have found themselves without a home, I stumbled upon the additional problem that many throughout the World struggle with: access to clean water. Shelter along with food and water are the most rudimentary needs of human beings. The tension lies between finding cost efficient solutions, ecologically friendly, and locational feasibility to all the problems.

   At the moment, an all inclusive design solution for homelessness, including both shelter and plumbing, may not be successful in bringing immediate comfort. Separating the needs to bring insulated living temperatures and a space away from the elements is key, along with bringing water accessibility to the people in need. Communities without shelter and access to water will not be able to thrive. All life requires water to be nourished, which lead me to read about lavamaex’s approach of providing water based programs to street services to many throughout the country. The idea is to:  “provide 1:1 program consulting, free and fee-based in-depth training, do-it-yourself toolkits, seed funding, and ongoing support to help people and organizations around the world launch and sustain their own LavaMaeˣ-designed programs with our Radical Hospitality® approach” (lavamaex.org). This hybrid fusion combining shelter and transportable water to locations of need can alleviate the struggle for those who are without both necessities in a quick and economically friendly manner in the short term. 

   As members of society we must continue to pursue design solutions that promote the health for all of those around us, both in the immediate timeline and for the future. For more information on how to help, click:  lavamaex to see more details on how to support or get involved.

 

Photo: ( lavamaex )