Ideas For Housing and More on Great Barrington Forum... More help needed for those basics!

Permaculture looks at ways people have met basic needs and hopefully our laws would allow for more people to join efforts, mainly online but also in practical ways, to learn those skills. Transition Towns are one initiative and the Berk. Taconic Fdtn has 'Housing Us'. Also there are outreaches for seniors and such based on Beacon Hill Villages model (and there's one in the Berkshires) to encourage more support for seniors and others needing support with housing, rides and more.

A  free game online (here on my Livfully.org blog but just google it...) I made for my Permaculture (PC)Basics course (which was held at a camp in NY over six weekends with about 20 of us working together on implementing the ethics of Earth care, People care and Resource share...and share in cabin living with meals and such made by teams or donated by some potluck style was a model for learning these things...

 

So that's Turtle Garden Permaculture Game and it's a design process and helps people warm up to the idea of seeing how nature and other people can be part of the solution even when it can feel they're only part of the problem... Seeing what needs balancing and addressing with more input and people sharing in the process is all part of the PC view too. The example of the game is to design a garden but it can be applied to many areas and again is about learning the basics of PC.

The setbacks in the past few years have eliminated or curtailed many programs so there should be a strong foundational group looking out for others. People can 'time bank' and trade skills (again check standards and laws for childcare or other skills, but care.com is an example of how to find help for some needs.)

 

After helping a few people not have to go into a nursing home (one relative, one person I've known for a long time with ongoing needs for a couple of decades and another who lost a caregiver to cancer that moved faster than expected and had no relatives or friends come to fill in even for a day....with social workers only suggesting immediate and likely longterm nursing care where she landed without anyone consulting other advocates for her, including the person who watched her for six months without being guaranteed pay...)

Some social workers don't want certain people to have fuel assistance or help with housing if they don't feel they should be home alone or if they have received a lot of help. We could make a game about all of the services that are really available (or a name that is similar to clue people in...) and use our joint efforts from the MA/NY CT area to understand the needs of all people, whether wealthy, older, single, with kids or pets, smokers or not and so on...and map out good options and ways to help people become able to plan for the next five years (and then take steps to stay on track) or even a year etc.

People with children of any age could use support to afford childcare and even housekeeping, laundry, transportation for appointments and shopping and other basics. Whenever caring for another there should be support for the caregivers as well.

 

Many people could likely live with or near an elder who needs help to remain safely in their home. Info on CtSeniorLaw.com can help people learn basic terms and options to get a home equity line of credit to afford care or repair their home is something more could look into. Some need help on many fronts and everyone is advised to have a POA, Power of Attorney to help if they become incapacitated even short-term.

 

See what 211.org and in NYC 311.org or call those numbers (or 911 if an emergency or 988 for support for mental health and suicide prevention...and share those numbers in newsletters.) This blog is Livfully.org and I map out many ideas and welcome support and of course wish all well with figuring these challenges out for one's community!

 

That can allow for more people to have meaningful connections and ways to keep in touch with an area over years and reap the benefits of being accountable and team players. Travelling for a day or more can be nice too for people to help each other with and covering all the bases.

 

So lot's of ways more people working together with each person mapping out 'their inputs or needs and what they want with their outputs in terms of what the make  or create and what they offer in terms of social and other work skills or caregiving. With about 30 people looking at their 'Bingo Cards of Inputs and outputs" and seeing who else in a caring, capable group may want to network or talk of bartering or having more formal alliances, then most needs can usually be met. When another 30 people also do that, the village networking happens more readily.  Now here's another set of points I shared on the Great Barrrington Community Forum on FB and will so so here for others to take and run with...

 

There are groups whether from places for women like Walk Our Talk or help from Susan B Anthony and WSS Women's Support Services in NW CT or Elizabeth Freeman Center (For Domestic Abuse) or a faith group or housing fund that hone in on fundraising or helping some people (here and there...hit or miss it seems..) More people could consider living with an elder person or a few even and those with children and pets may find it's easy enough to blend in helping with some tasks.

With planning some could spend time at another friend's home for some extra support after school or on weekends. Faith groups and recreation programs could try to arrange for more support as well to ease the needs for supervising and feeding people as well. The NECC in Millerton has a good role model as does Berkshire South and most faith groups (which could try to complement town recreation and sports programs and what senior centers offer as well.

We could see what examples have worked and find ways to get more gofundme efforts and even seasonal camping or housing going (even if people have to relocate but hopefully in the same area.) I know a school professional who lived with a number of families 'one week to the next' while their housing was secured...and that was with a lot of kids!

Maybe more people would open their homes for a month or so in a kind of extended airbnb or just hosting people and have others in a time or chore bank help someone afford the housing (if that repayment or barter is needed.)

I have cared for people and gotten paid months or years later, often now was agreed upon (once someone paid me extra since it was a long delay...but two others paid about half. One paid with people gifting me funds since we were all on the same page and such, and the other I had to put in a request after the formal bill to get something.

I should have put in for a Discovery to have the court and myself know what was left to pay me after someone had been in a nursing home and her home finally sold. We should all know these Basics and about a Legal Caregiver Agreement (even for ourselves to have on hand for instance if needing homecare etc) and what would be reasonable (in terms of who pays the income taxes, self-employment and so on for a household employee versus and independent person who is doing this work as their own agent etc...)

These are not terms and ideas to take as legal counsel but rather to clarify and see that every state has its rules and medicare does not cover everything even though everyone needs to sign up for it by 65 to avoid having to pay a higher premium.

So often people 'don't want to deal with things' that's why looking ahead at least five years and ideally more like 10 especially if one is in their 50s makes sense (and that's with online research but also talking things over with a competent skilled elder law attorney who also knows Medicaid if one does not have many assets and so on...)

Where one lives can make a difference as one ages and most will likely choose to live near a city with good services when aging due to the transportation and medical needs. Getting used to that idea (and coming back to visit an area and people) could also use a lot of support, no matter when one may move for various reasons. I blog and so just google my name and happy to network to figure more of this out together for the tri-corner area and beyond. These are pressing issues for our times. See what 211.org and even alz.org offers in terms of information to factor into resources for people across the life span.