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spare housing

what to do with empty halls of residence out of term time
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There should be a housing program whereby all the deserted university halls of residences can be lent to homeless people during the freezing winter nights, during the christmas holidays. as incentive, the students who normally live there can be offered discounted rent for their co operation. although it may not have a long term effect, it would at least give people who were unable to sort themselves out with somewhere to stay a temporary measure to get them through this period. The fact the halls are part of an institution means that there is more than like a caretaker to look after things, and may even create new jobs. there may have to be some criteria enforced so as to help people who are genuinely in trouble and need help, and the students would need to be offered holding areas for their possessions if they are unable to take them home.
chets1000, Nov 04 2003

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       What [bliss] said but...   

       At the first uni I went to, all the cheaper halls (like the one I lived in) were rented to conference guests during the holidays to bring in revenue for the otherwise cripplingly underfunded university. It was a pain in the arse to have to empty my room, but I wouldn't want to deprive the uni of that essential source of income.   

       What happens to the homeless people during term time? Do they just get booted out? And how do you stop them claiming squatters rights?
squeak, Nov 04 2003
  

       As squeak notes, halls of residence/dorms are already used outside regular term time, to house conferences and/or summer programs. Besides, having seen the mess left in various NY centers that periodically or regularly house the homeless, you *really* don't want all the associated hygiene issues.
DrCurry, Nov 04 2003
  

       Having seen the mess left in various halls of residence after the students leave I'm not sure the homeless would go for it...
hazel, Nov 05 2003
  

       most big halls of residence already rent out their accomodation out of term time (at least in the UK). I don't think this gets to the nub of the homeless problem, treating the symptoms rather than the issues.
neilp, Dec 17 2004
  
      
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