Group Profile: Homes Not Jails

[ellipsis]

I just wanted to highlight a San Francisco Bay Area squatter collective, Homes Not Jails. (http://www.homesnotjailssf.org/wb/)

Homes not Jails was established in 1992 out of an alliance between Food not Bombs and the Coalition on Homelessness. The network has two functions: holding public occupations of buildings in an effort to bring attention the amount of vacant and abandoned properties and advocate/demand their use to house the homeless; the network also helps to set up covert squat to provide its members and others with housing. In a step in a new direction, HnJ also provided squat housing for attendants of the 2011 SF Anarchist bookfair. Although HnJ was started in San Francisco, chapters have been started in Oakland and San Jose.

Examples of their public actions can be found here (http://www.revleft.com/vb/sf-squatter-collective-t153154/index.html) and here (http://www.revleft.com/vb/sf-hotel-takeover-t143206/index.html?t=143206).

The group meets weekly and publicly. In meeting people can talk about their housing needs and get housed; report back on news from squats and away teams with the hope of sharing and increasing collective knowledge of squatting techniques, how to deal with problems that arise etc.; and discuss and plan future actions.

After meetings and on other nights, "away teams" research and attempt to gain and maintain access to properties. I can not emphasize enough the need for attentive and dependable look outs on these away teams!

[ellipsis]

If anybody has ANY questions about the groups, how they operate, their squatting tactics, etc. please let me know.

[ellipsis]

Moved to politics.

[Rusty Shackleford]

does HnJ do work with the people selling the Street Sheet?

[ellipsis]

The street sheet is published by the Coalition on the Homeless, which HnJ works closely with. The paper is sold by independent vendors, I don't know if they have ever been active in the collective. The paper also publishes articles about HnJ actions.

[ellipsis]

Homes not Jails was invited to a green party meeting to speak on squatting, apparently SF green party has fewer people at their meetings, which are run/moderated/facilitated more poorly than those of Homes not Jails.

[Susurrus]

Is SF the only place this is happening?

[PC LOAD LETTER]

There's a group in Atlanta called Mad Housers, but they build small, inexpensive plywood shacks for the homeless; they don't occupy existing structures.

[ellipsis]

Is SF the only place this is happening?

There are smaller "chapters" in Oakland and San Jose. Also there are some other squatting groups starting, notably Organizing for Occupation in NYC (http://www.o4onyc.org/). Internationally there are more. Check out the squatter info and resource sticky in mutual aid/DIY if you're interested.

[ellipsis]

To be included in an upcoming homes not jails zine!


Homes Not Jails' open, public meetings are held weekly, at the same location and time. They generally take the following format and are facilitated by a single person, chosen by the group each meeting.

I. Introductions: Attendees introduce themselves, state their housing needs if any, and if they are available for away teams (reconnaissance) later that night.

II. Squat Reports: Residents of squats report back to the group on the status of their squats, updates are also given on buildings used by the group in the past. The purpose is to create discussion and experience-based learning environment, in other words we want to share both the challenges and successes of establishing and maintaining squat housing so that we may learn from them as individuals and as a group.

III. Away Team Reports: The results of expeditions to gather reconnaissance and gain access to buildings, referred to as away teams are shared in a similar manner to squat report. All properties as referred to by code names as a security measure, so people can have knowledge of and talk about a property without knowing or disclosing its location. Generally speaking, only people involved in away teams at said property know its real location.

III. Office Reports: Discussion of internal organizational affairs, including our website, our hotline for receiving anonymous tips and disseminating information, the status of our computers, archives and tool library, etc.

IV. Agenda Items: A space for people to bring proposals or topics for discussion to the group. Consensus based decisions are made about the direction and form of the group, its policies and actions.

[ellipsis]

Is SF the only place this is happening?

An Olympia, WA chapter is alleged to have been started recently, but it could just be an empty facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Olympia-Homes-Not-Jails/140407809377866).

This topic was brought up at this weeks meeting. Many other groups in cities around North America have tried to start Homes not Jails chapters, with varying degrees of success.

Washington, D.C. HNJ was the most successful, being active for around nine months.

In addition to the bay area chapters mentioned above, there have also been attempts made in Boston, Phoenix, Toronto, and Vancouver.

[HNJ Maschok]

During my time in Homes Not Jails San Francisco I maintained the email account along with the website, and we heard from a number of other cities that were either starting HNJ chapters, thinking about it, or starting squatting groups with a different model. These include Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Santa Cruz, St. Louis, Kalamazoo, Detroit, Phoenix, two places in North Carolina, Portland, and a city in Minnesota. There are a couple others, but I can't remember them off hand. Also, I started a Facebook squatting group: Squatting Information Clearinghouse - USA ...to be a platform for squatters around the country to share information. If squatting does not become commonplace now, then when?

[ellipsis]

Thanks. Funny to see you here after hearing so much about you.

[HNJ Maschok]

Any questions I can help you with?

[ellipsis]

Are you starting a new chapter in pikesville?

[HNJ Maschok]

I'm thinking about starting a squatting organization in Baltimore...new and improved on the Homes Not Jails model...Baltimore City owns 16,000 vacant buildings...but not until the fall and probably the winter or spring.

[ellipsis]

I'm thinking about starting a squatting organization in Baltimore...new and improved on the Homes Not Jails model...Baltimore City owns 16,000 vacant buildings...but not until the fall and probably the winter or spring.

I look forward to it.

What types of improvement would you make on the Homes not Jails model/methodology?

[brigadista]

sounds great!!:):)