Tucked away

After work today I walked down to Grey Lynn Park, and soon after I entered the park from Williamson Avenue I left the main path and almost immediately saw a big flash of orange. Someone without a lot of options, has made a camp amongst the trees and shrubs almost on the edge of the park.

After taking the photo, I was thinking how wrong it would be to think of the person who erected and sleeps in this apparent dwelling as being "resourceful". I would expect that he or she has few resources, otherwise there would be no need to set up camp in a public park. This is a person, who has "made the best" of what was available, and in a hot Auckland summer, may well be feeling reasonably comfortable. However, being able to effectively make use of limited resources should not be thought of as resourceful. It may be more akin to desperation. 

That our welfare state leaves many persons with few options other than making the best of a bad job, does distress me. When I was young few people did not have access to some sort of housing. Now there are thousands in cars, garages, sharing with family in cramped and damp surrounds, or in this sort of shelter, or have no shelter except a doorway.