Rainy Weekend

I helped build and set up a hut with the Mad Housers this morning. They're an Atlanta based organization which builds shed sized homes in existing homeless camps, and I've worked with them a handful of times over the last two years. I've been working with them recently in hopes of developing a story for False Magazine's Spring issue.

Today, we were building a house for Mike, a veteran who's been camping in the same stretch of Indian Creek woods for the last 20 years. He had been camping with his wife and a friend - his wife got sick and died about 8 years ago, and his friend was run over while crossing a nearby road just two years ago.


Mike stands by a shrine he built for his wife.

Another couple (whose names I didn't catch) have been sharing the camp with Mike since February. They were forced to leave their government subsidized housing after getting into some sort of trouble over their section 8 eligibility.


The couple, at the door of the hut Mad Housers built in February.

I'd like to say more about this morning's work, and the time I spent talking with Mike, but I've been having a hard time just coming to terms with the reality of his situation. The article's due Tuesday. I'm hoping to find some way of putting words around this entire experience by deadline.