A California activist group unveiled its plan for an “all-inclusive” city that could provide a residence for around 150,000 homeless people.
Duane Nason, founder of California-based Citizens Again, outlined the plan for the 300-acre city that could be built for an estimated $3 billion. Planners explained that they would build massive dorm-like buildings that would include bedrooms, communal bathrooms, a cafeteria, and other amenities like a movie theater and a bowling alley.
Residents would be given wristbands that would grant them access to their room and other facilities. They would also be used to track “credits” for individuals to buy goods. Medical services would be provided to all residents.
“It’s time to think differently about solving this crisis,” the group says on its website. “Instead of taking hundreds of years to build thousands of shelters; the clear solution is to build 1 city for up to 150,000 people. By building outside the urban core and utilizing economies of scale, Citizens Again can build a complete, large-scale, economically sustainable solution desired by the entire chronic homeless population; within about 11 years.”
The group added, “It will be a city they’ll want to live in, a community they’ll want to be part of, and for those that desire, an opportunity to gain life skills to integrate back into society.”
The qualifications Citizens Again would use to identify which people could live in the facilities have not yet been decided, but the planners are optimistic about how homeless individuals would like living in the facility.
“Some might want to stay forever,” Nason explained.
The ambitious plan hoped to gain $50,000 in seed money for the proposal via crowdfunding, but that hasn’t exactly taken off. The group’s GoFundMe page has earned just $475 as of Friday.
Citizens Again is just one group looking for creative alternatives to address homelessness in the United States. The Oakland city council is considering using cruise ships to house the city’s growing homeless population.
