So basically this artist named Michael Rakowitz created a portable shelter for homeless people. The idea was inspired by the homeless person’s habit of sitting on warm air vents in winter to stay warm. The city got tired of that, and decided to install vertical vents, so that the homeless would not be able to sit around on these warm air vents all day. The portable homes were, in this case, made of plastic. When attached to a vent, the wasted heat would then fill up the portable home, thus inflating it.
In my opinion, this is one of the smartest ways to house most homeless people. I have learned that homeless people don’t even like to being in shelters most of the time; they do not feel safe. Additionally, many homeless people travel to different places at different times. Having a portable home that works by merely attaching it to a vent is very convenient when one is on the go. I mean, let’s face it, our society does almost nothing to help the homeless, aside from handing out food. But nothing is done to try and rehabilitate these people so that they may one day become productive members of their societies. If our societies and communities continue to treat the homeless as non-existent (except when they are in the way), the least we could do is supply some decent form of housing during the brutally cold months, so that they have the chance to experience some sort of decent living conditions throughout our cold winters. I think it is a beautiful thing for individuals to look after each other, especially when groups, such as communities/cities/etc., refuse to do so.

Fannie