Are Storage Units Modern-Day Carboard Boxes?

categories: Hiding the Homeless, recession, shelter

Published October 29, 2009 @ 10:30AM PT

Somewhere along the line, the cardboard box became synonymous with homelessness. But today, these old stereotypes are changing as our modern-era homeless population grows and utilizes existing resources. Today, many homeless individuals and families are taking shelter in storage units.

An article in last week's Chicago Tribune told the story of a family living in a storage unit. It's not a new phenomenon; similar stories have been reported out of Hawaii and Maryland. At $179/month, the price is certainly right. And as I wrote back in March, storage units beat the dangers of the street, the rules of shelters, and the stigma of tent cities for people who are newly homeless.

Still - it's ironic, isn't it? Storage units exist because people have too much stuff. So much stuff, in fact, that we can't even squeeze it into our houses or apartments. Yet, at the same time, homelessness is at an all-time high in many cities. What does this say about us a society, about the enormous gap between the rich and the poor?

Have we come to value "stuff" more than we value people?

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Comments (5)

I thought that this would never make head lines in the news. For some time I've noticed that people in certain areas and under the assumption of certain situations have mobilized themselves to learning to live in these types of places and thrive. But How? Aren't storage units permitted with time limits of usage? I guess if you really need a place to stay that bad one would submitt themselves to being locked in totally from the hours of 7:30p.m til 9 am.

Posted by Aaron Shaw on 10/30/2009 @ 08:01AM PT
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Actually most storage unit managers are aware of this practice and have stipulations in the agreements you sign when you rent that say you will not live in the unit. With the cameras and surveilance at most storage units it's almost impossible for anyone to live in a unit for any length of time without being discovered. Heat and cold, light - a lot of reasons they don't make the best places to live, but certainly managers who have a hard time renting units will look the other way.

Posted by Becky Blanton on 10/31/2009 @ 12:59AM PT
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So far, I've managed to keep rent paid for my commercial storage unit for over a year. I cannot stay there. As the post above explains, the facility is designed to prevent and disallow that. In fact, I got caught just napping there one afternoon and was admonished for it by the onsite manager.

While my remaining belongings enjoy the clean, secure, "atmosphere controlled" environ inside... I don't. In fact, the rent has many times become a formidable burden and challenge, which is a major factor in draining what modest funds I've been able to muster -- all of which keeps me in the same predicament.

At times, I've braced myself to just lose everything else I own, beyond what I'm carrying with me. This has been both because my ability to pay the rent on time has been precarious and, at moments, I long to escape the relentless stress and sense of imminent disaster. There are other stressors, concerns, challanges and hardships enough. Sometimes almost any prospect for a mere lightening of that load is appealing.

But, as of today, I persist still. Halloween night -- I slept outdoors, among the ghouls and drunken revellers, my "stuff" all peacefully safe inside. So far.

Posted by SlumJack Homeless on 11/01/2009 @ 08:09AM PT
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Storage units lack bathrooms and access to water. Many are unheated although some have electricity - most often a single light socket. It is possible for a single person to hide out in one temporarily, but you have to be very quiet and keep a very low profile. Long story short: in most cases it's not a viable survival option except in an emergency. For the cost you'd be better off investing in outdoor survival gear and camping out under a bridge.

Posted by Dale Gowin on 11/02/2009 @ 03:27PM PT
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Shannon asks: "Have we come to value "stuff" more than we value people?"

My stuff makes me happy; people that don't have enought self respect and intelligence to keep a roof over their head do not.

OK, it's harsh, but it's true.

Posted by CTYankee Aeon on 11/03/2009 @ 05:42PM PT
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Author

Shannon has worked in homeless shelters and service organizations in San Francisco, the Triangle region of North Carolina, and currently in the greater Boston area. She is a graduate student studying housing and urban policy at Tufts University.